Who Wants the Medusa?
by QuayJaquelinXeomaraZendaya
Summary: This is my first fan fic- no flames please. Follows The Medusa Plot, but has some changes. Future AmyxJason.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **Don't read this unless you've read The Medusa Plot and the Son of Neptune. This is my first fan fic, so no flames please, but comments and constructive criticism are welcome. This is my idea of the story, so it may be different from the book.  
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I own nothing but my brain... you know, if I had one...

**Amy POV**

"… and that's what this project is about. Does everyone understand?" Mr. Blofis asked. We all nodded. "Good. I'll list you into partners now." He continued to list off partners when I noticed something move outside the classroom window. I looked closer, but didn't see anything. I glanced around the classroom to see if anyone else saw it. I saw a boy with black hair and sea-green eyes concentrating on something outside the window. _So he must have seen it too._ I thought.

"Amy Cahill and Percy Jackson," Mr. Blofis called my name. The boy with the sea-green eyes turned towards him. _Oh, so I guess he's my partner._

Dan, Uncle Fiske, and I came back from Switzerland with my new watch that I always wear. It's been two years. I'm 16 now and I've been training hard for when we have to face the Vespers again, but I still am not good at talking in front of crowds or other people.

"Now, class, please get with your partners to discuss your project," Mr. Blofis ordered. The boy walked over to me.

"Hi! I'm Percy," he said with a smile. I gave him a small smile in return.

"H-hey; I'm Amy," I replied shyly. Once again I noticed something flicker outside the window from the corner of my eye. I did the natural thing and turned my head to look closer. Seeing nothing I shook my head and turned back to Percy. He was faced toward the window, frowning. He, too, shook his head and turned back to me. "Did you see something out there, too?" I had to ask.

He blinked. "Hmm? Yeah, but it was probably just our imagination. I'm not feeling so well. I think I'll go to the nurse. Can I meet you here at lunch?" he rattled off.

"Umm… sure," I said mystified.

"Kay. Thanks." Turning to Mr. Blofis, Percy called "Can I go to the nurse? I don't feel good."

Mr. Blofis turned to him. When they locked eyes some sort of understanding passed between them. "Go ahead," he replied. Percy nodded and zipped out the door.

_Hmm… that's odd. _I thought. I spent the rest of class working on ideas for the project, the mysterious window figure, and Percy Jackson. _There's something strange about this. _The bell rang and I proceeded through the day to lunch.

**Percy POV**

Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move outside the window of Paul's classroom. I turned my head away from Paul telling us about our project to get a better look.

"Nico," I breathed. He was bending the shadows around him. At least that's what it looked like. I vaguely heard Paul start to list partners. I turned back to him.

"Amy Cahill and Percy Jackson," Paul called. I glanced around and saw a reddish-blonde haired girl with jade-green eyes glance in my direction. _That must be Amy._ I thought. Paul told us to get with our partners, so I made my way over to her with a grin.

"Hi! I'm Percy," I introduced myself.

"H-hey; I'm Amy," she stuttered with a small smile. I noted that she seemed like a shy kind of person, but looked very smart and kind. Suddenly, her head turned the window I was looking into just moments ago. I followed her gaze, and did see a flicker of shadow that I knew now was definitely Nico.

_I wonder what he's up to. I should check it out. _I decided. I shook my head, frowning. _Why would he be here?_ I turned back to Amy.

"Did you see something out there, too?" she asked. I blinked.

_She saw him? She's not a demigod… right? I don't feel like she's a monster. I'll have to check with Grover. She may just be a human who can see through the mist. _ I thought; my mind was racing. _I better go take a look outside._

"Hmm? Yeah, but it was probably just our imagination." Thinking quick I added, "I'm not feeling so well. I think I'll go to the nurse. Can I meet you here at lunch?"

"Umm… sure," she replied.

"Kay. Thanks." I turned to Paul. _He will let me go. He knows about this demigod stuff._

"Can I go to the nurse? I don't feel good," I asked him. I stared into his eyes, willing him to understand. Thankfully, he must have sensed my urgency.

"Go ahead," Paul replied. I nodded and zipped out of the room.

**Percy POV**

I reached the outside of the school.

"Nico?" I whispered.

"Percy, come over here," Nico beckoned. He was behind a large tree at the outskirt of the parking lot. I slipped silently to him. As I rounded the tree I was about to ask what he was doing here, but froze in my tracks. In front of me wasn't just Nico. It was Nico, Tyson, Hazel, Thalia, Jason, Chiron, Lupa, Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades. _What is this- a party?_ I bowed to the immortals quickly.

"Umm…" I was at a total loss for words.

"Percy, we have to talk," Chiron said.

"Now?" I said. I felt a little annoyed. They just pop up and demand to talk to me.

"Sorry, Perce, but it's urgent," Jason apologized. We defeated Gaia and we're now friends with the roman camp. Piper and Leo started going out, and Jason and Reyna broke up. So, Jason is single, and Thalia is still a huntress. Nico is single. Hazel and Frank are dating, as well as Tyson and Ella. I am still dating Annabeth; we are happy together. She's been very busy making Olympus in a new way. Anyway, off topic.

I groaned and slid down to the ground. "Okay, so talk."

"We need to go somewhere more secure, sport," my dad answered. I was about to agree when a thought occurred to me.

"I can't leave. I have to work on a project with a partner. I can't just ditch her."

"Who is it? Doesn't your class end soon?" Thalia spoke up.

"Her name is Amy Cahill, and since I pretty much just ditched her to find Nico, who I think she saw, I told her I would meet her at lunch in Paul's room," I replied.

"She saw me?" Nico asked surprised.

"Yeah; at least I think so. When I saw you a second time she asked me if I saw anything out the window, too."

"What did you tell her?" Hades questioned like he was afraid I'd messed up. _How typical._ I refrained from rolling my eyes.

"I told her it was probably just our imagination 'cause it wasn't there when we looked back."

"How about we talk about it at your apartment after your school gets out," Nico suggested. We all agreed.

"If I don't get detention for skipping class first," I sighed.

"Jackson! What do you think you are doing? Who are these people?" Mr. Fushaw demanded as he charged toward me.

"Or get killed," I muttered only loud enough for everyone to here, but Mr. Fushaw. Mr. Fushaw was my algebra teacher. He was pretty much a roly-poly man. His attitude reminded me of Gabe. He always picked on and tortured me. He believes I am a juvenile delinquent, who should be in jail, and he's always trying to get me in trouble. "I'm ordering a pizza," I replied calmly and stupidly, I might add, but whatever. My friends and family tried to stifle their laughter, but I could tell they were worried about me getting into trouble also (well, everyone except my uncles).

"Don't give me smart mouth answers, boy. I'm not going to ask again."

"Alright, don't ask."

"Answer my question!"

"I thought you said you weren't going to ask again."

"I didn't ask."

"Well, if you didn't ask how am I supposed to answer?"

"I already asked."

"But you just said you didn't."

"Stop playing mind games, boy; answer!"

"Answer what?" I was remaining calm, while my algebra teacher practically exploded.

"Jackson! You are a worthless, intolerable, destructive, and idiotic delinquent. Why you aren't in jail is a mystery to me. You're not even worth my time. Why do I waste my precious time on you? Nothing can penetrate that thick skull of yours! How can someone so stupid cause so much aggravation?" He continued his rant as he steamed away.

I let out a long breath I didn't realize I had been holding. I looked at my stunned family and friends. Thalia burst out laughing, followed closely by Nico and Jason. Then everyone else joined in too.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Geez, Seaweed Brain, I knew you were annoying, but that was just hilarious," Thalia laughed harder. "If that's how you treat all your teachers, I'm surprised you haven't gotten kicked out yet," more laughter.

"Who- who was that?" My dad managed to say through his laughter.

"Mr. Fushaw, my algebra teacher," I replied. Just then people started to flow out of the school building to the lunch tables outside. "Lunch. I've got to go work on my English project now." They all nodded.

"Remember, Percy, Your apartment after school. Tell your mom and Paul, so they don't freak out when we show up, okay?" Jason said.

"Yep, I'll see you guys later, then?" I confirmed. They nodded. I turned and sprinted back into the school to Paul's room, where I found Amy ready to work and Paul eating his lunch.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N:_**_Chapter two is up! I realize it is awkward with all the gods. It shouldn't happen again. Next chapter, things will get more interesting. Still no flames please, or you will be whacked over the head with a frying pan. P.S. I just watched Tangled. ;)_

**Amy POV**

I drummed my fingers on the desk I was sitting at. _Where is he?_ I wondered. _Did he just ditch me?_ I glanced at Mr. Blofis. He was eating his lunch and grading tests. I had already finished my lunch. All of the sudden Percy popped into the room.

"Hey; sorry I'm late," he apologized.

"That's okay," I replied. "Do you have any idea of what we should do?" For the project we are supposed to choose two types of mythology. We then compare and contrast them, and tell whether they would work good together.

"How about we do Greek and Roman mythology?" He gave a knowing smile, like he was laughing at a joke only he knew.

"Okay. That sounds like a good idea," I agreed.

"Do you think they would work together good?"

"I think so, if they could see that they are both based on the same kind of things." In my head I added: _Being a Madrigal I should know about working together._

"I think that too." He smiled again.

We talked like that the entire time of lunch. We planned out when we would work on it and what we would be focused on that day. We figured everything out, we were going to get an amazing grade. When the bell rang signaling the end of lunch I realized I never stuttered once. Confident we would get this done I forgot about the blur outside the window and continued through the day.

**Percy POV**

Amy was smart. Enough said. She could be a peacemaker for a job. As Amy and I talked she believed that Greece and Rome could work together. They way she said it made me believe that, if she wanted to, she could get Zeus to give me a hug or something. She gave off this feeling of reassurance and peace, like my mother, Amy could make anyone agree. Sorry, off topic. I blame the ADHD. Amy was smart, like I said. We created a schedule that fit both of ours and get the job done and good.

_I wonder what's bothering the others. _I thought throughout the rest of the school day. I told Paul quickly that Nico, Tyson, Hazel, Thalia, Jason, Chiron, Lupa, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were coming home after school, and I asked him to let my mom know after Amy left. He promised to do that. On my way out I turned and thanked Paul.

I got into Paul's car with him and we drove home. Sure enough, when we got there they were there, just liked they promised.

"Hello!" I greeted as I tossed my backpack next to the couched and plopped onto the arm. "I'm home, Mom." I called to my mother in the kitchen with Paul.

"Hi, Percy," she called back. I turned to the group of demigods and immortals.

"So..?" I asked, searching for answers.

"So, we have a big problem," Hazel replied.

"Yeah, I got that part, but what is the problem?"

"Well, it's not as much a problem…"Chiron started.

"As a favor," Lupa finished.

_A favor, oh no, that's bad._

"What kind of favor?" I asked cautiously. This time Zeus answered.

"We need you to obtain something for us."

"A painting to be exact," Hades explained. "We need the original 'Medusa'."

"Do you mean the 'Medusa' by Caravaggio? The one that's in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy?" Thalia asked. We all looked at her quizzically. "What? The hunters and I visited there on the hunt for a hydra nest- long story."

My dad shook his head, "Caravaggio's 'Medusa' is based off of the original one by Leonardo Da Vinci. That's the one we need."

"Wasn't that one lost a long time ago?" Hazel asked. The immortals nodded.

"We believe the key to finding it is with Caravaggio's original 'Medusa'." Chiron said.

"So, we have to steal the painting in Italy and use it to find the first 'Medusa'?" Jason asked.

"Yes. If the six of you go together, you may have better luck than alone," Lupa answered. _She always did believe in teamwork._

"We need it by two weeks from now on Olympus," Zeus added.

"How are we supposed to get there?" I asked. "Four of us can't take a boat. Four of us can't take a plane, and we can't exactly walk there."

"Percy's right. Will you give us safe passage?" Nico asked.

The gods looked at each other. My dad started to nod reluctantly. "I will give you safe passage through my domain," Poseidon said. Zeus and Hades soon followed.

"Why do you even need it?" Nico asked. The gods looked at each other, and I got the feeling they weren't going to tell us.

"We need it in two weeks, and that's all you need to know," Zeus replied with finality in his voice. The demigods sighed in defeat. Zeus smiled in triumph and glanced at his brothers like _see? No more questions asked._ I almost asked, but I didn't want to press my luck.

"Now that everything that is necessary is covered, we shall be leaving," Hades declared. The five immortals transported away when we averted our eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:**_ _Here's chapter 3! No flames once again. There is some action in this chapter. I hope you like it. I will try to update whenever I can. _

**Amy POV**

I was heading to the bus after school when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hi Ames," Dan said. "I was wondering if I could walk with my friends to the arcade a few blocks away, and come home at 4:30."

"Umm…" I responded. _Come on, Amy. The Vespers haven't attacked in two years. Nothing is going to happen. _Oh, how wrong I was.

"Please?" Dan pleaded.

Sighing I said, "Sure, go ahead. Have fun."

"Thank you! You're the best!" Dan said. "Bye."

"Bye. See you at 4:30," I replied. We hung up. _What's the worst that could happen to him?_ I thought. I knew the answer though- a lot. _With Nellie __and__ Uncle Fiske gone if anything happens that'd be bad._

I reached the bus and sat lost in thought about the day's events. I stretched and noticed a cement truck only a few feet behind the bus.

_What's up with that mixer? _I wondered. No sooner had that thought crossed my mind the truck sped up and slammed into the back of the bus, spewing kids everywhere. The bus alarms went off, emergency exits opened, and we all filed out of the bus. The truck swerved in front of the bus cutting us off.

I noticed that three men came out of the truck with ski masks on, revealing only their eyes. Also, that the men immediately looked at me. _Vespers _was my first thought. Three more men hopped out of a car behind us, also with ski masks. One man in front of me took something out of his pocket. My foot went flying, kicking the gun out of his grip. I felt at least two of his fingers break. The gun slammed to the ground and slid underneath the cement truck, out of reach.

The students scattered in terror, as the six men came after me. _I have to draw them away from the others._ I thought of my classmates' safety. My eyes locked on a sign. Central Park, I spun on my heel and sprinted into the park.

**Percy POV**

An awkward silence filled the air between the six of us. I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Why don't we take a walk in Central park? I'll be able to think better with fresh air," I suggested. They all nodded. As we left I called back to Mom, "We are going for a walk."

"Kay, I'll have dinner ready for all of you by 6:30," Mom replied. I didn't bother to answer except for a quick nod, before following the others out the door. We wandered around the park throwing out different ideas out of hoe to get to Florence and how to steal the 'Medusa' when we heard a scream.

**Amy POV**

I ran. Fast. I wove through the trees, dodging pedestrians, and leaping over bushes and benches to get away from the men. I kept running as fast as I could to stay ahead, but six adult men against one teen girl don't help the odds. They were quickly gaining on me. I risked a look behind me to see where the men were. Big mistake on my part, I tripped over a root in the thick undergrowth.

"Ugh," I grunted as I hit the ground. The world spun in my eyes for a few seconds before I regained my balance. The men were surrounding me by then, with my back pressed against a tree. The men started to close in on me, not knowing what else to do, I screamed.

"Amy?" a familiar voice called out with concern then anger, "Hey, back off her!"

**Percy POV**

When we heard the scream we didn't say a word. We simply turned to the sound and ran. An unspoken agreement passed between us, _Go help who's in need._ For all we knew it could be a demigod fighting a monster. However, I didn't expect to see what I saw.

"Amy?" I called out. Yep, that's her. Amy was a little scratched up, but seemed to be unharmed. The six men surrounding her pinned to a tree were soon going to be harmed. "Hey, back off her!" I yelled.

"Friend?" Tyson asked.

"Yeah, the girl's name is Amy. I'm going to go help her," I replied and charged the men. I figured they were mortal men when I took Riptide out and made a clean swipe through a man. He blinked confused. I'm not sure what he was seeing, but I used that hesitation to quickly cap my pen and changed to a new tactic.

The man threw a punch at my face. I easily blocked and delivered a side kick to the man's gut. He collapsed, winded. I turned to the other men, ready to pounce, but my friends had joined the fight already.

Tyson clubbed one man in the head with a stick. Nico was throwing punches at a man, wearing the guy down. The man blocked most of the punches until Nico managed to land one on his nose. The man stumbled over to the man Tyson clubbed and started to help him up. Thalia and Hazel were double teamed against two of the men. Thalia kicked one man. Hazel punched the other. They fought back to back. All of the sudden, both girls dove and rolled between the legs of the men. Coming up behind them and delivering a blow to each man's spine.

"Percy, look out," Jason warned, fighting a man. I turned around. The man I fought looked like the Minotaur. His eyes held pure rage. I noticed on one hand his fingers looked broken.

_I didn't do that._ I thought. I snapped back to reality when I heard the man growl.

"Come and get me," I taunted. The guy charged and I sidestepped. The man slammed head first into a tree. I stifled my laughter. The man ran over to the four other beaten men. They had a quick discussion (actually it seemed more like an argument), and they left.

_Wait. That's only five. _I counted. _Where's the last one?_

I looked around. Jason was fighting with the last one. Jason was totally relaxed. He was just playing with the man. Jason dodged as the man threw attacks, but Jason didn't attack back.

"Come on, Jason, stop goofing off," I scolded jokingly.

"Aww! You take all the fun out of this," Jason replied well naturally.

He ducked the man's kick and swept the man's leg out from under him. The man rolled over and up. The man stepped in with a punch, but Jason was ready. Jason sidestepped, grabbed the man's arm, and used his attackers momentum to shoulder throw the guy. The man struggled to get up again. He looked like he was about to attack, but stopped when he realized he was alone. The last man turned and ran.

"You couldn't have done that before?" Thalia asked exasperated. I didn't wait to hear Jason's comeback. Instead, I went over to Amy.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm a little scratched up, but you just…" she trailed off looking at the group.

"Yeah, weird isn't it?" I chuckled.

"You had a sword. You all fought those guys," she stated. I was stunned.

"You saw that?"

"Yes."

"Umm…"

"You don't have to tell me. It's your life. Thanks for helping me. I'm Amy by the way."

_Oh, right, introductions._

"Amy, this is Nico, Hazel, Thalia, Jason, and my brother, Tyson. I said, pointing to each in turn. Each of them waved at her except Tyson, who gave her a hug. His hug lifted her off the ground. I think he forgets how strong he is.

"Tyson, put her down. You're crushing her," I said.

"Uh oh, I am sorry," Tyson said apologetically.

"That's okay. It's nice to meet all of you," Amy replied sweetly with a small smile, her breathing returning to a normal rate. Tyson looked happier.

"If you don't mind me asking, who were they, and why were they after you/" Jason asked.

"Oh… um. I'm not sure, maybe they wanted to hold me for ransom," Amy said. She was hiding something; I could see it in her eyes. Everyone else could tell too, but they let the subject drop. Amy looked really shaken up.

"Did you notice that one guy had broken fingers on one hand?" I asked everyone. Amy gave a breathy laugh beside me.

"That was me. He pointed a gun at me, so I kicked it out of his hand," she said. I gaped at her.

"What happened?" Thalia asked.

"Well, I was riding the bus home…" she told us about the truck hitting the bus, the men coming at them, how she ran into the park, and how, finally, she ended up pinned against a tree, surrounded. I was shocked to say the least. Nico let out a low whistle.

"I didn't know you could fight," I said.

"I could say the same for you," she replied.

"Do you want us to help you home?" Hazel asked pleasantly.

_She's right, stupid. Amy just got attacked and you're standing around interrogating her._

"No, that's okay. Thank you," Amy said.

"But aren't your guardians away? I mean, with the attack and everything, shouldn't you have someone with you?" I backed Hazel up. My friends gave me questioning looks. I simply gave them the look of _I'll-tell-you-later._

"Yeah, but I'm going to get my..." she trailed off as her eyes widened. "Oh no…" was all she whispered before she streaked off. Confused and concerned I chased after her not bothering to see if the others followed.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N:_**_ Thank you to those who reviewed. T__o answer the question: Is Amy a demigod or a mortal who can see through the mist? the answer is she is a mortal who can see through the mist, this is for all Cahills in my story for a reason explained much later on in the story. I hope this chapter explains about Dan to those who asked. I also wanted to remind everyone that this is based of The Medusa Plot, but it is my version. No flames please_ _Enjoy chapter four!_**  
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**Amy POV**

Percy and his friends just beat up the Vespers. Percy had a sword in the beginning. One of Percy's friends has only one eye. I tried to process all this information. The Vespers attacked. _I better get Dan and get him home._ Percy came over to me.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm a little scratched up, but you just…" I trailed off observing the group before me. He chuckled.

"Yeah, weird isn't it?"

"You had a sword. You all fought those guys."

"You saw that?"

"Yeah."

"Umm…" Percy seemed at a loss for words. I felt bad, whatever he's hiding I don't need to know. _He just helped me, and now I'm making him explain himself! He obviously doesn't want to talk about it!_

"You don't have to tell me. It's your life," I told him. Turning to all of them I said, "Thanks for helping me. I'm Amy by the way."

Percy took this time to introduce his friends. "Amy, this is Nico," he said pointing to a boy about Dan's age. Nico looked extremely pale, slightly Italian, and was wearing all black clothing. "Hazel," Percy pointed to an attractive African-American girl. She had curly brown hair that circled her face. "Thalia," he indicated to a girl with short, spiky, black hair with electric blue eyes. She was wearing a silver head band type thing with a Death- to-Barbie T- shirt. "Jason," a boy about Percy's age waved. He had electric blue eyes like Thalia, but his hair was blonde. He had a lean and muscular build like Percy. "… and my brother, Tyson," Percy said. Whoa, Percy has a brother? His brother was the one who had only one eye. Tyson gave me a bone-crushing hug that lifted me off the ground. He was strong! "Tyson, put her down. You're crushing her," Percy told his brother.

"Uh oh, I am sorry," Tyson said apologetically. He looked so upset. He was just trying to be nice. I gave him a small smile.

"That's okay. It's nice to meet all of you," I replied. _Wow, Amy, you haven't stuttered yet._ However, that was probably because I was so tired. Jason asked about the men. I couldn't tell them about the Vespers! "Oh…um, I'm not sure, maybe they wanted to hold me for ransom," I said nervously. I was never a good liar. I hate to lie. I could tell they thought it was a lie, but, fortunately, they didn't press the subject.

"Did you notice that one guy had broken fingers on one hand?" Percy asked us. I gave a breathy laugh in remembrance.

"That was me. He pointed a gun at me, so I kicked it out of his hand," I said sheepishly. Percy gaped at me.

"What happened?" Thalia- I think that's her name-asked. I told them everything that happened, without mentioning anything about Cahills or Vespers or acting like I knew anything about what happened. The Italian boy, Nico, let out a low whistle when I finished.

"I didn't know you could fight," Percy said.

"I could say the same for you," I replied.

"Do you want us to help you home?" Hazel asked sweetly.

_I can't drag them into Cahill business. It's not fair for them._

"No, that's okay. Thank you," I said.

"But aren't your guardians away? I mean with the attack and everything, shouldn't you have someone with you?" Percy asked. _Wait, how did he know that? Oh, that's right. I told him when we were making the schedule._ How stupid can I get? But he just has that trusting feel to him.

"Yeah, but I'm going to get my…" I trailed off. Dan! If they attacked me they could've attacked Dan too! I was lucky that Percy helped me, but Dan…no. My eyes widened in fear. "Oh no," I whispered. Visions of my brother being attacked flooded my eyes. I streaked away towards the arcade. Dan!

_No, not my brother, please, not him._ I pleaded.

I reached the arcade. Police lights flashed on top of their cars. Police men milled about questioning people.

_No. No. This can not be happening._

I pushed my way past the onlookers and police boundaries. I looked around, searching frantically for any sign of my brother. I saw Dan's friend, Atticus, talking to a police man. Atticus's older brother, Jake, stood behind him. I ran to them.

"Where is he? Where's Dan?" I asked.

"G-gone, some men took him a-away," Atticus said crying. My heart sank. I felt like crying too.

"My dear, who are you?" the police man asked.

"Amy Cahill. Dan is my little brother," I said quietly. "What's your name?"

"I'm Detective Corelli," he replied. He gently said, "I'm so sorry, Miss Cahill. Your brother has been kidnapped."

Kidnapped. I sank to my knees. I shook my head as tears streamed down my face. My body racked with sobs. "No," was all I could say. "No," I repeated as if saying that would make Dan suddenly appear. I heard footsteps behind me. Percy's voice rang out.

"What happened?"

"Dan and I were attacked by six men as we were leaving the arcade. They pushed me into a wall and picked Dan up, and they threw him into a truck," Atticus said through his tears. Atticus was only 11 years old and still was a little kid.

"Jason, help Amy up," Percy ordered. "I'm going to call my mom and get you a ride home, Amy" he told me gently. I felt warm arms circle me and Jason's voice in my ear.

"Come on. We'll take you home. Everything will be alright." He sounded so sure.

"I'm sorry, Amy! It's my entire fault," Atticus cried.

"No, it isn't your fault, Atticus. How could anyone know that was going to happen?" I tried to comfort him. Jason guided me to a standing position. I gave him a watery smile in gratitude. He, in return, gave me a reassuring squeeze.

"Yes, it isn't your fault. That moron, Dan, got you into trouble. I told you he is no good. Not only doesn't he have discipline, but he gets into too much trouble. Att, you have a one-in-ten million mind, you have to be careful who you associate with," Jake told his brother. I bristled at the insult. I looked at Jake.

"M-my brother's mind is nothing to sneeze at either. He has a photographic memory. You don't have to worry; Dan wouldn't contaminate Atticus's intellect."

"Take away Dan's photographic memory, what little brains he has, and his immature personality what do you have?" he asked me maliciously.

_How dare he insult my brother!_ What I said next shocked everyone even myself.

I spit back, "You." Jake looked stunned that I would talk to him that way. "You have no right to insult my brother like that, especially when he isn't here to defend himself!" I pretty much yelled that.

"Now, now, children, tensions are high. Mr. Rosenbloom, please leave Miss Cahill alone. She has been through a lot very rapidly. Miss Cahill, we are going to get your brother back. Don't worry," Detective Corelli said quickly.

"Amy, come on. Let's get you home. Ms. Jackson and Mr. Blofis are here," Jason said calmly. I thought I heard a trace of anger in his voice, and when I looked at him his eyes were trained on Jake. I sighed and nodded. Jason led me over to Percy, Ms. Jackson, Mr. Blofis, and a man I didn't know. I noticed the two other guys and the two girls were gone.

"Where did the others go?" I asked Jason. I was still crying, but the tears were slowing down and were falling silently. Jason still had his arms wrapped around me protectively. I didn't care. All that matters is Dan.

"Probably to see if they could help anyone," he responded. We reached the group. They seemed in deep conversation about something, as soon as we reached them they stopped talking.

"Amy! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Percy told me what happened. I'm so sorry," she said concerned. I shrugged and looked off into the distance. Truth was I didn't know. The shock has not worn off yet.

"Dan's gone," is all I said.

"I know, sweetie, I know. I'm going to take you home now, okay?" she asked sweetly.

"I can just get a ride form the police."

"No, I'll take you."

"But it's far out of your way."

"That's okay, dear. I don't mind."

"I don't want you to make the long trip."

"Is anyone home?"

"No, my guardians are both away. Sinead is out of town too. It was just me and Dan," I said the last part almost inaudible.

"Then you shouldn't be there alone. I'll drive you up there and stay with you," she said firmly. She wasn't going to budge. I sighed in defeat. I turned to the man I didn't know. He looked a lot like Percy. They had the same eyes and hair.

"I'm sorry. Please excuse my manners. My name's Amy," I said to him.

"I'm Poseidon," he replied. "Do not worry about it. You are upset."

"Mom, how about Jason and I stay with Amy until someone comes," Percy volunteered. Jason nodded in agreement beside me.

"Okay, we'll stop by the apartment, so you two can pack quick and Amy can call whoever she needs to. Then we'll go to Amy's house," Ms. Jackson laid out the plan. I mentally yelled at myself, even though I knew it was no use.

_This is Cahill business! They can't be there!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: **I am sorry this chapter isn't very long. The next one will be longer, I promise, and it will be in Jason's POV! Thank you for the reviews. I read every one and enjoy each of them. No flames please. One more thing, I am stuck on the romance for Amy and Jason. I can't think of anything not cliche or super fluffy. If you have ideas or helpful tricks to help me write their romance or romance in general, I would love to hear them. Now without bothering you further, here's chapter five!_

**Percy POV**

The others caught up to me as I ran after Amy.

"Hey, Perce, who exactly is Amy?" Nico asked panting as we ran.

"Amy's parents died a long time ago in a fire and her grandmother died a couple years ago. Dan is Amy's brother, and is the last family she has," I told them.

"How do you know this?" Hazel asked.

"I remember reading it in the paper. Grace Cahill was a very important person," I replied. We reached the arcade.

_Why did she go here?_ I wondered. I looked around.

"Over there," Jason pointed. Amy just sank to her knees and seemed to be sobbing. Her back was to us. We went over to her.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Dan and I were attacked by six men as we were leaving the arcade. They pushed me into a wall and picked Dan up, and threw him into a truck," a boy about 11 years old said crying.

"Jason, help Amy up," I told him. He nodded. I turned to Amy, "I'm going to call my mom and get you a ride home, Amy." Jason wrapped his arms around Amy and was telling her something as I turned to the others. "Hazel, Thalia, go see what else you can find out. Nico, Tyson, see if you can find the men or Dan," I said quietly to the four of them, so I wouldn't be heard. They nodded and left. I ran to the nearest unoccupied phone booth to call my mom.

"Hello?" my mom answered.

"Mom, I need you to come to the arcade a few blocks away from the middle school," I said urgently.

"Percy, what's wrong? Your dad is here, the gods forgot to tell you something." I quickly outlined the situation. I told her about the attack on Amy, and how her brother was kidnapped.

"I need you to drive her home, if that's okay," I finished.

"Oh dear, poor Amy, of course it's okay. I'll be right there." Mom said before she hung up. My mom, Paul, and Dad got here really quick. "Where's Amy?" she asked immediately.

"Jason is with her. They are talking to a policeman and one of Dan's friends, who was with Dan, about the kidnapping," I told her.

"Tell us everything that happened, Percy," Paul said with one of those _you-better-tell-us-or-else _look. I told them everything I could remember and Amy's side of the story, all the way until I called Mom. They were silent taking it all in.

"Dad, what did you want to tell us?" I asked Poseidon.

"I wanted to warn you that someone else wants Caravaggio's 'Medusa' too," he replied.

"Who?"

"We are not sure. It is some underground group."

"Probably to see if they could help anyone," Jason said, alerting us to their coming presence. I looked at Amy. She seemed calmer, but still crying.

"Amy! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Percy told me what happened. I'm so sorry," Mom said concerned. Amy shrugged and looked off in the distance.

"Dan's gone," she said simply.

"I know, sweetie, I know. I'm going to take you home now, okay?" Mom asked. I smiled internally. My mom can take care of her. She knows what to say and do.

"I can just get a ride from the police," Amy said.

"No, I'll take you."

"But it's far out of your way."

"That's okay, dear. I don't mind."

"I don't want you to make the long trip." It seems like she's trying to get rid of us, but my mom's persistent.

"Is anyone home?" _Mom's got a point. Amy's cornered now._

"No, my guardians are both away. Sinead is out of town too," Amy told her, and then almost inaudibly added, "It was just me and Dan."

"Then you shouldn't be there alone. I'll drive up there and stay with you," Mom said firmly. Amy sighed in defeat. She turned to my dad.

"I'm sorry. Please excuse my manners. My name's Amy," she said to my dad.

_Her brother's been kidnapped and she's apologizing for her lack of manners?_ Apparently Dad had the same kind of thought.

"I'm Poseidon." He replied, "Do not worry about it. You are upset."

_Uh oh, better change the subject._

"Mom, how about Jason and I stay with Amy until someone comes," I volunteered. I looked at Jason. He nodded, but he looked upset about something.

_I'll have to ask him later._

Mom told us we'll stop at the apartment, so Jason and I can pack, and Amy can call whoever she needs to. I noticed Jason still had his arms protectively wrapped around her.

_Hmm…how interesting._

"I've got to go. It was nice meeting you, Amy," Dad said. He left the scene, probably to teleport to Olympus where no mortals would see him.

"Come on now, let's go," Paul urged.

"What about the others?" Amy asked. "Aren't they coming with us?"

_Whoops! What do I say?_

"They'll catch up once they are done helping people," Jason stepped in and saved me. _Thank you, Jason!_

"Oh, alright," Amy replied. Her tears had stopped now. We got into the car and drove to our apartment.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Warning: Long A/N. **Hi! I've been reading your reviews. Thank you for them, by the way. To answer a question I got "Why is Jason so protective over Amy?" I didn't realize it but Jason seemed a lot more protective than I thought after I tried to read it from the reader's perspective, not the author's. I was trying to make Jason kind of subconsciously protective of Amy because he knows what it's like growing up with no parents. To answer the comment about PercyxAmy, I did consider that, but I just felt they were better as friends, so I'm still planning on AmyxJason. I will try to make Annabeth jealous in some way for you though. Jason POV in this chapter and it is long. No flames._

**Jason POV**

I was sitting in the back seat of the car with Percy and Amy. Ms. Jackson and Mr. Blofis were sitting in the front. I was livid on the inside. What in Pluto's name did that guy think he could just insult Amy's brother like that? From what Percy told us that he knew about Amy's background, she's had a hard life. Now her only family gets kidnapped, and that guy has the nerve to say that! If we were back at the legion he would've been punished for his disrespect. I've only known Amy for like fifteen minutes, but I can already tell she is a nice person. She doesn't deserve to be treated like nothing.

First, we find her cornered by six men in the woods. Then, we find out about her background from what Percy read in the newspaper. Finally, her brother gets kidnapped, and some guy, Rosepetal- no, Rosenbloom- tells her insults about her brother! This must be the worst day she's ever had.

***Flash Back***

Amy tore off. Percy followed her. The five of us shared a confused look and followed them. On the way Nico and Hazel asked Percy about Amy's history. We learned that she lost her entire family, save her brother, Dan.

_She's had a tough life. _I thought. We reached an arcade surrounded by police. I looked around and spotted Amy.

"Over there," I pointed to Amy. As we approached she fell to her knees sobbing.

"… kidnapped," the police man was saying to her.

"What happened?" Percy asked.

"Dan and I were attacked by six men as we were leaving the arcade. They pushed me into a wall and picked Dan up, and they threw him into a truck," a young boy wept. An older boy who must have been the younger boy's brother hovered behind him.

"Jason, help Amy up," Percy ordered me. I nodded. He told Amy gently, "I'm going to call my mom and get you a ride home, Amy." I sat next to her and wrapped my arms around her. Percy turned to the others, telling them to do something, before they all left. Amy was shaking her head while she was crying like she could somehow make this disappear.

"Come on. We'll take you home. Everything will be all right," I tried to reassure her.

"I'm so sorry, Amy. It's my entire fault," the younger boy cried.

"No, it isn't your fault, Atticus. How could anyone know that was going to happen?" Amy comforted the boy through her tears._ Amazing, she's the one in the most pain, but she is still trying to help people. _I helped her stand, and she gave me a watery smile. I gave her a quick squeeze in return.

"Yes. It isn't your fault. That moron, Dan, got you into trouble. I told you he isn't good. Not only doesn't he have discipline, but he gets into too much trouble. Att, you have a one-in-ten million mind. You have to be careful who you associate with," the older boy scolded. I felt Amy stiffen. I agreed with her. I wanted to hurt this guy. How could he say that when the poor kid's been kidnapped? The legion is so much different than here. There everyone is respectful or they are punished. Here people are rude to whoever whenever. I was about to say something when Amy spoke up.

"M-my brother's mind is nothing to sneeze at. He has a photographic memory. You don't have to worry. Dan wouldn't contaminate Atticus's intellect," Amy defended her brother.

"Take away Dan's photographic memory, what little brains he has, and his immature personality what do you have?" the boy asked haughtily. I was seriously considering punching this guy. Why would he talk to Amy like that after what just happened? I was going to retort, but Amy beat me again.

"You," she said coldly. "You have no right to insult my brother like that, especially when he isn't here to defend himself!" Amy snapped at the boy, still crying. Her tears were slowing down, but she was still upset.

_After everything that has happened I don't blame her. _I thought.

"Now, now, children, tensions are high. Mr. Rosenbloom, please leave Miss Cahill alone. She has been through a lot very rapidly. Miss Cahill we are going to get your brother back. Don't worry," the policeman said rushed. _Sure. __Now__ he says something._

I saw Percy with his mom, Mr. Blofis, and his dad. Wait… Neptune's here?

"Amy, come on. Let's get you home. Ms. Jackson and Mr. Blofis are here," I said calmly, trying to mask my anger as I stared at that jerk of a guy. He kept acting arrogant. Amy sighed and nodded next to me. I led her over to Percy.

"Where did the others go?" Amy asked.

_Who? Oh, Thalia, Hazel, Nico, and Tyson._

"Probably to see if they could help any one," I told her. I wasn't really lying since they were most likely trying to help her right now. We reached the group.

"Amy! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Percy told us what happened. I'm so sorry," Ms. Jackson said concerned. Amy shrugged and looked off into the distance.

"Dan's gone," was all she said.

_Dan's probably all she is thinking about. _I tuned out the conversation. I focused on all the events today; it was weird even for me.

"I'm sorry. Please excuse my manners. My name's Amy," Amy said to Lord Neptune.

_What's she apologizing for?_

"I'm Poseidon," Lord Neptune replied. "Do not worry about it. You are upset."

"Mom, how about Jason and I stay with Amy until someone comes," Percy volunteered. I nodded in agreement. Ms. Jackson said we'd stop at the apartment to pack, and Amy could call whoever she needed to.

_She seems a little reluctant to allow us to come. Can't really blame her though, she barely knows either of us._

"Come on," Mr. Blofis urged.

"What about the others? Aren't they coming with us?" Amy asked. Percy gave a panicked look.

"They'll catch up when they are done helping people," I said smoothly. Percy's look relaxed.

"Oh, alright," Amy said. I didn't realize I held her the entire time, it seemed so natural. How weirder could this day get?

***Flashback Ends***

_It's amazing how she can be so caring and considerate of others. Even after everything that's happened she still thinks of others. You don't often see those traits in people or any being, for that matter either, as a demigod. _I thought bitterly. I turned to Amy.

"Who were those people?" I asked her.

"The policeman said his name was Detective Corelli. Atticus, the younger boy, is Dan's friend. Jake is Atticus's older brother, he doesn't like Dan very much," she replied before spacing out again. Percy gave me a questioning look, but I shrugged it away.

_I'll tell him later. _I decided


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: **Chapter seven is up, Jason and Amy POVs. No flames. Thanks to those who reviewed, I'm sorry about the trouble with the previous chapter. I was having technical difficulties. _

**Jason POV**

We got to Percy's apartment. Amy went to Ms. Jackson's room to make some calls. Percy and I went to his room to pack. When the gods picked us up they had us bring a small suitcase of things we needed. I figure I'll just take the entire suitcase with me. It isn't large or heavy, and it's already packed.

We walked into his room to see Thalia, Hazel, Nico, and Tyson waiting for us. Tyson ran up and hugged Percy.

"Yay, you're not dead!" Tyson cheered. We all laughed thinking of how much Percy could get into trouble.

"How did everything go?" Percy asked. _Not so great when you consider Amy's brother's been kidnapped. _I thought. Percy began packing.

"Tyson and I looked everywhere. There's no trace of anything. These guys where professional," Nico said.

"Hazel and I couldn't find anything out. Nobody seemed to know that anything even happened," Thalia reported.

"These guys were good. They knew what they were doing. They must've been planning this for a while," Hazel agreed with Nico.

"Well, this just gets better and better," Percy grumbled.

"Why was your dad here?" I asked Percy. Percy told us his conversation with his dad.

"Do you think those men could be part of that underground group?" Hazel spoke up.

"It'd be a long shot, but it could be possible. Whoever the group is, they are out of the gods' sight. They must be very powerful." Nico stated. Percy finished packing and plopped onto his bed.

"Well, Amy definitely knows something" Percy said. "Jason and I are going to stay with her at her house until someone else comes instead. I don't want her to be alone right now. You guys go on ahead to Italy."

"Okay, maybe you can find out what Amy's hiding," Thalia suggested.

"She seems really upset. I don't think she wants us with her, but we can't just leave her alone either," Percy sighed.

"She has good reason to be upset," I muttered to myself.

"Jay, you look upset. What happened after we left?" my sister asked concerned. I sighed and told them what happened after they left.

"So, Jake insulted Amy's brother?" Hazel asked furious.

"That jerk! Her only family has been kidnapped and he's calling them stupid for it!" Nico growled.

"Amy okay now?" Tyson asked. "She is nice."

"Are you sure Amy said those retorts because it doesn't sound like her?" Percy asked. I smiled at his disbelieving face.

"Yes, I'm sure. She defended her brother and yelled at Jake for insulting Dan when he wasn't there to defend himself," I told them.

"Are you sure she yelled?" Percy asked shocked. "I can't see her doing that. She's always so quiet and nice."

"She was, Atticus was really upset about Dan, and Amy was comforting him. Then Jake insulted Dan, and Amy didn't like that," I reassured him.

"I wish I knew why exactly they went after Amy and Dan," Percy said wistfully.

"Well, considering she just met five of us and everything just piled on her at once, you can't blame her for being secretive," Nico reasoned.

"How long will you stay with her?" Hazel asked.

"Until her family or someone else comes to stay with her," Percy answered.

"You guys head out tomorrow for Italy. We'll meet you there later. We better get started on the 'Medusa.' We only have two weeks," I reminded them. Percy turned to me.

"Let's go see if Amy is ready to leave," he suggested.

"Okay," I said. We said our good-byes and went to the living room.

**Amy POV**

I went into Ms. Jackson's bedroom to make calls. I tried Nellie first. _Beep, beep, beep. _Was the response of the phone.

_Nellie always picks up her phone._

I tried again, still no response. Next I tried Fiske. I got the same answer as Nellie, even though I tried twice.

_Maybe Mr. McIntyre will answer. _I thought. I was getting worried.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Mr. McIntyre? It's Amy," I said relieved.

"Amy! Where are you and Dan? I've been calling your house, and you weren't picking up."

"Dan has been kidnapped. I almost was too."

"What? Oh dear, this is bad," he said aghast.

"What else has happened?" I asked nervous.

"Eight other Cahills were attacked and seven were kidnapped."

"Who?"

"Natalie Kabra, Phoenix Wizard, Regan Holt, Alistar Oh, and Ted Starling were kidnapped. Ned Starling escaped."

I counted on my fingers.

"That's only six. Who are the other two?" I asked. I heard Mr. McIntyre sigh.

"I'm sorry, Amy. Nellie and Fiske were kidnapped also," he said.

_Dan, Nellie, Fiske, Natalie, Phoenix, Regan, Ted, Alistar- all kidnapped._ They weight was heavy on my heart.

"Was it the Vespers?" I asked him.

"I believe it was," he replied. I sat on the bed in silence. Tears threatened to burst at any moment.

_Stop it, Amy. Crying won't get them back. _I told myself harshly.

"Amy? Are you still there?" Mr. McIntyre asked concerned.

"Yeah," I said weakly.

"I'm sorry to pile this on you. I can be at Attleborro by tomorrow afternoon. We'll discuss this more then. Where are you staying?"

"In the manor."

"Alone? I don't think that's wise."

"No, some friends saw me get attacked. They helped me out. They know Dan's been kidnapped too. Two friends will be staying with me until someone comes to stay instead."

"What? Never mind, we'll talk about this tomorrow. Be cautious. Don't let them see or find out about the Cahills"

"I won't."

"Be careful, Amy," Mr. McIntyre warned. "I will see you tomorrow."

"I will," I promised. "Good- bye."

With a sigh, I got up and went into the living room. Ms. Jackson and Mr. Blofis were sitting on the couch, talking.

"Ms. Jackson, could I have some water, please?" I asked quietly. Ms. Jackson sprang up.

"Of course, sweetheart! I'll get it for you immediately," she said heading into the kitchen. I followed her.

_She reminds me of Mom. _I thought.

She handed me a glass of water. I thanked her and drank some of it. We chatted about small unimportant things. Anything except Dan, it got my mind elsewhere.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:** Saladin is in this chapter! Percy and Amy's POVs, no flames. I enjoyed reading the reviews you guys sent me. I am going to have Amy sing in the next chapter. I am sorry if you don't like that, but I thought the song would be good and that it would be nice for Amy to sing it. I just wanted to let you know ahead of time. Don't flame because of it._

**Percy POV**

Jason and I walked into the living room. Paul was sitting on the couch grading papers.

"Where are Mom and Amy?" I asked him.

"Hmm?" He looked up. "They are in the kitchen."

"'Kay, thanks," I said. Jason and I went to the kitchen. I thought about the strange day I had. I would have to remember to tell Annabeth.

_I wonder if these things are all connected._

We entered the kitchen. My mom and Amy were sitting at the counter, drinking water, and talking. Jason and I cleared our throats. They turned to us and Mom smiled.

"How are you doing, Amy?" Jason asked concerned.

_He's been very concerned over her. _I thought curiously.

"Better, I guess. Thanks for helping me," Amy replied.

"Is anyone coming for you to help?" I asked.

"A family friend is coming in, but the earliest he can get here is tomorrow afternoon," she said. There was a hint of depression in her voice I noticed.

"That's okay, we don't mind. You and I can work on our project. Jason could help us too," I told her.

"Okay," she said.

"Do you need any food?" Mom asked.

"No, I can cook. I usually cook when it's just me and Dan," she replied. She seemed to be remembering a happy memory because she smiled a little.

"Okay, do you need any groceries?" Mom asked.

"No, I bought some yesterday, actually," Amy told her. Turning to us she asked randomly, "Are either of you allergic to cats?"

"I'm not," I told her. I looked at Jason.

"Neither am I," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"We have a cat, an Egyptian Mau named Saladin," she replied.

"You guys should head out now," Mom stated.

"Alright, let's go," I urged. We said good bye to Mom and Paul.

**Percy POV**

We took my mom's van. The three of us sat in the front. I was driving, Amy sat in the middle giving me directions to her home, and Jason watched the scenery.

_He doesn't come here much. It must be a lot different than any place he's traveled to. _I chuckled to myself.

My jaw dropped when I saw her house. No, scratch that- mansion. It had a main building that rivaled the throne room's size on Olympus. It looked like a castle. Around the house were a couple of small houses.

"Whoa," I heard Jason breathe. I had to agree with him.

"You guys can stay in the guest rooms in Grace's Manor," she gestured to the castle, "or stay in a guest house." She pointed to the small houses.

"Where are you staying?" Jason asked.

"I live in the Manor with Dan and our guardians. Sinead lives in that guest house," Amy said, pointing to each building in turn. I glanced at Jason quickly.

"We'll stay in the guest rooms. We'll be closer that way," I decided. She nodded. We drove up the long driveway as the front gates locked behind us. We parked in the garage. Amy went and unlocked the door leading into the house.

_This house has very tight security._ I noticed. There was a lock and pass code at the gate, A lock on the garage, and probably one on every door. _It's like they expect an attack so they built the house as a fortress._ I observed. Jason must've been thinking the same thing.

"This place is guarded like Camp Jupiter," he said to me.

"It feels like they've been expecting an attack," I agreed.

"Are you guys coming?" Amy asked from the doorway.

"Yep, one moment please," I told her. Jason and I got our suitcases out and followed Amy inside. It was astounding. It was like a castle on the inside too, but with modern things.

"Where did you get all of this?" I asked Amy as Jason and I looked around in awe. Amy chuckled at our expressions.

"When Grace died she left us in her will her entire estate, her cat- Saladin, and a lot of money," she said.

"Who are these people?" Jason asked studying a frame on the wall of three people. A man with blond hair, blue eyes, and looked young and handsome. Next to him was another man. He was older and was wearing all black. On the right was a woman. She looked just like Amy. The woman had blonde hair with red in it and jade-green eyes. Amy looked fondly at the picture.

"The man on the left is my dad, center is my great uncle, and on the right is my mom," she said. We looked at the picture longer before moving on. Amy led us to our rooms to get settled.

**Amy POV**

I led Percy and Jason to their rooms. The rooms were in the same hall as mine. They both went inside their rooms. I went in mine. Shutting the door quietly behind me and tossing my backpack on the floor, I surveyed my room. Nothing looked touched. _I guess they just wanted the Cahills._ I sighed and turned back to the door and stepped out of my room.

Percy and Jason were already there waiting for me, talking quietly. _Wow, they are quick._ Percy was the first to see me. He smiled and nudged Jason. Jason followed his lead and turned to give me a smile.

"What would you like for dinner?" I asked.

"I'm cool with whatever you feel like making," Percy said.

Whatever you want," Jason answered.

"Well, I was going to make nachos tonight," I told them.

"Sounds good. Do you want any help?" Percy asked.

"No, but you might want to learn your way around the house, so you don't get lost," I replied.

"You've got a point," Percy agreed.

"With or without knowing, you'd probably get lost," Jason laughed. I couldn't help but laugh with him. Percy pretended to be insulted, but cracked a smile.

We went into the kitchen and found Saladin trying to get into the refrigerator. I smiled.

"Saladin," I called. His ears perked up, and he turned and sprang into my outstretched arms. Saladin saw Percy and Jason and hissed. "Stop that, Saladin. These are friends," I soothed him as I petted him. His hiss soon turned into a purr. I set him on the counter. Turning to the boys I asked, "Do you mind if I feed him first? It's past the time we usually feed him."

"Not a problem," Jason said. Percy nodded. They slid into two of the counter seats. I fixed Saladin's dinner and then ours. While I cooked, the three of us worked on the English project. Percy seemed to know a lot about Greek mythology, the same with Jason and Roman mythology.

_It's like they __are__ Greek and Roman. _I shook the thought away. _That's not possible._

_Ding!_ The oven timer went off. I went and got the nachos and set them on the counter. We put the work aside. We ate and chatted.

"I've never seen you around here, Jason. Where do you live?" I asked.

"I live in California. I'm visiting my sister," he replied.

"You just met her," Percy added. "Thalia is her name." I nodded.

"You and Thalia have the same eyes," I told Jason.

"What about you and your brother? Do you guys look alike?" Jason asked.

"Kind of, Dan looks more like our father," I replied. "I'll show you a picture of him." I got up and walked into the living room and chose a picture of me and Dan in Australia attempting to surf. Uncle Shep took the picture so he could have a newer one and sent us a copy. I went back to the kitchen. I slid into my seat and handed the picture over to Jason. Both boys smiled at the picture.

"Where was this?" Percy asked.

"Australia, we were visiting my dad's cousin. We never get to see or hear from him since he isn't very good at staying in contact," I said smiling at the memory.

"Your brother and you have the same eyes too," Jason said. Percy nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," I said. We continued to chat through dinner. After we were done Percy volunteered to do the dishes and Jason said he would dry and put them away. "But I can do it," I protested. They weren't going to take it.

"You cooked, we'll clean. Check my writing. Make sure I have everything I said there," Percy said. I read over his writing and corrected a few mistakes.

"Looks good," I told him when he and Jason finished. "Do you want to go and work on it more in the living room?"

"Sure, lead the way," Percy replied. I scooped Saladin up into my arms, grabbed the picture, and led them to the living room. We sat on the couch and two chairs facing each other. I tucked my feet under me in one of the chairs. I stroked Saladin on my lap. He purred. Percy wrote as we finished our compare and contrast chart with Jason's help. For the compare and contrast part we could do an essay, vend-diagram, or a three columned chart. For the "if they would work good together" part we had to write an essay, and for extra credit- if we wanted to- we can write a creative story based off the essay. By the time we decided to go to bed (which was really only 9:30, but we've had a stressful day) we had finished the chart and most of the essay. The three of us went up to the hallway with our bedrooms. We said good night. Percy and Jason went into their rooms. I set Saladin on the ground and opened the door to my room. He ran inside.

_I guess he's sleeping in my room tonight._ Not that I minded, I'm fine with the extra comfort. I followed Saladin into my room and shut the door. I changed into pajamas and crawled into my bed. Saladin jumped up onto the bed and curled up next to me.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: **Thank you so much for your lovely reviews! I don't own the amazing song. I hope to have more action in the story when they get to Italy. They should be going to Italy soon. No one has the Medusa yet, they aren't in Italy. I will apologize for the cliff hanger early. To Firestorm Nauralagos, I have a phrase that I thought you would enjoy: "I'm not so good at advice; may I interest you in a sarcastic reply?" I think this fits me pretty well. You know the drill: no flames and enjoy._

**Amy POV**

I laid there with my eyes open for a long time. The more I thought of my brother the more tears built up. I had to be strong for my brother and the other kidnapped Cahills. I thought of a song called One Girl Revolution by a band called Superchick. I started to sing it softly.

(Amy singing, _Amy's thoughts_)

I wear a disguise

_ To disguise the Cahill life_

I'm just your average jane

_My blood doesn't have any serum in it, unlike the other branches._

The super doesn't stand for model

But that doesn't mean I'm plain

If all you see is how I look

You miss the superchick within

_If I could just stop stuttering_

And I christen you titanic underestimate and swim

_People underestimated Dan and me in the clue hunt, but we won_

I've got the rifle gonna be myself

I repeated that line three more times.

I'll be everything that I want to be

I am confidence in insecurity

I am a voice yet waiting to be heard

I'll shoot the shot, bang, that you hear round the world

_I'll find my brother_

And I'm a one girl revolution

Once again I repeated the line two more times.

_I can do this_

Some people see the revolution but most only see the girl

_Tell me about it_

I can loose my hard earned freedom if my fear defines my world

_If I was just a little braver_

I declare my independence from the critics and their stones

I can find my revolution I can learn to stand alone

_To save Dan I will_

I'll be everything that I want to be

I am confidence in insecurity

I am a voice yet waiting to be heard

I'll shoot the shot, bang, you hear round the world

_I might have to go around the world to find them_

And I'm a one girl revolution

I repeated the line twice more.

I'm a one girl revolution

I'm a one girl revolution

And I'm a one girl revolution

I'll be everything that I want to be

I am confidence in insecurity

I am a voice yet waiting to be heard

I'll shoot the shot, bang, that you hear round the world

I'll be everything that I want to be

I am confidence in insecurity

I am a voice yet waiting to be heard

I'll shoot the shot, bang, that you hear round the world

_Watch out, Vespers. I'm going to get my brother back._

I fell into a peaceful sleep with my decision.

**Percy POV**

_Jason and I were in this giant cave. An elaborate ceiling hung above us. It was furnished and decorated; at least it was maybe a million years ago._

"_Where are we?" I asked Jason._

"_It looks like the Lupercal," he replied in awe._

"_What's that- some sort of pill?" He shot me an incredulous look._

"_It's where Lupa raised Romulus and Remus before they founded Rome."_

"_Oh, I remember that- sort of." Jason rolled his eyes. "Hey, I'm Greek not Roman like you."_

"_I wonder why we are here," he thought out loud, "and why both of us are here."_

"_That would be nice to know," I agreed._

I woke up, took a quick shower, and changed into my clothes for the day. I walked into the hall and met Jason, who was also coming out of his room. I smelled bacon, eggs, and pancakes cooking.

"You think we can find the kitchen?" Jason joked.

"When food's involved? Definitely," I replied. He grinned and we followed the delicious scent as it wafted through the air. "Isn't it weird we both had the same dream together and knew it?"

"Yeah, I wonder what it means."

"Guess that's a mystery for another day," I sighed as we entered the kitchen. Amy's back was to us.

"Morning, Amy," Jason said cheerfully.

"Sleep well?" I asked equally cheerful.

"Hi, guys! I'm feeling much better today. What about you?" she replied as she turned around to face us.

"Good," we said. Her cat rubbed against my legs. I bent over and stroked him. He purred and then went over to Jason. Jason picked up the cat and stroked its back. Amy set down three plates with pancakes, bacon, and eggs on the counter, where three place settings were and syrup and butter sat in the middle of. We all went and sat down.

"Eat up," Amy said. Jason put Saladin on the floor. The cat strolled over to Amy, who placed him on her lap. "So, Percy, do you want to do the extra credit story this morning? Since we'll probably finish the essay quickly and be done with everything," she asked me. I considered it.

"Yes, I definitely think we should. I have this good idea for it," I said.

"What's it about?" she asked, curiosity shining in her eyes. Jason, on the other hand, eyed me with suspicion.

"Well, it's about seven demigods- Greek and Roman- that have to travel to Greece to fight Gaea with the help of both gods and goddesses," I said. Jason sighed quietly and looked up at the ceiling shaking his head.

_Probably wondering how he got stuck with me._ I chuckled internally.

"That sounds fascinating. I can't wait to hear more about it," Amy said excitedly.

_She does seem much better today._

We finished breakfast. Amy was an amazing cook.

"Where did you learn to cook like that? It was delicious," I asked. Amy blushed.

"One of our guardians, Nellie, is studying to be a chef. She's an amazing cook."

"Well, I for one thought it was great," Jason complimented her. _Is it as good as Roman food? _I wanted to joke.

We went into the living room and finished the essay. We started to work on the story. The only problem was the demigods. I couldn't put myself or Jason or even Hazel in. I didn't want Amy to get suspicious. With Jason's help, I changed the three names to Luke, Dakota, and Gwen. I told the story as Amy wrote. Jason added ideas, a.k.a. the parts I forgot. It was very long and took up pretty much the whole morning. When we finished Amy told that it was a great story.

_Yes, it must be since no god or goddess blasted me. _I thought.

We talked for a little bit and had sandwiches for lunch. I couldn't help but notice that Jason seemed happy for once since his break up. _It's good to see him like his old self again. _The door bell rang. Jason and I immediately tensed, hands going to our weapons- but not drawing them. Amy tensed slightly before relaxing.

"It must be Mr. McIntyre. He said he would be here right around now," she said.

"Even so, it might not be him. Percy and I will answer the door with you," Jason said. She simply nodded after a slight hesitation.

Amy cautiously unlocked and opened the door.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: **Yeah, you get to find out who's at the door! __I tried to make Annabeth jealous in this chapter for the person who asked. I'm glad F.N. liked my random phrase. Should I put one in each authors note to try to make you smile? All of you who read? If so here's another one:_ "_I'm not clumsy, the floor just hates me." Please enjoy this chapter, no flames._

**Amy POV**

I sighed in relief as I opened the door. It was Mr. McIntyre.

"Amy, my dear girl, you are alright?" he said, more as a question than a statement, watching Percy and Jason.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for coming on such short notice. This is Percy, and this is Jason," I said indicating to each boy in turn. "They're the friends I told you were staying with me until you came." I emphasized "friends."

He looked relieved. "Yes, well, I tried to get here as soon as possible. Thank you, gentlemen, for staying with Amy. I will take over." I could feel a tension between Percy and Jason about Mr. McIntyre and vice versa. Neither seemed willing to give me up, understandable, I guess, since they don't know each other. Saladin walked up to Mr. McIntyre and swatted at his pants. Mr. McIntyre looked down at Saladin and smiled. "How are you, Saladin? Have you been helping take care of Amy for me?" he asked the cat. Saladin purred in response.

"Why don't we get out of the doorway and into the living room to talk?" I suggested, scooping Saladin up into my arms.

"Here, you shut the door. I'll carry the cat," Jason offered. I gratefully gave him Saladin and shut and locked the door as Jason took Mr. McIntyre and Saladin into the living room while Percy waited.

"Are you sure you'll be okay with just him?" Percy asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm sure, if I get attacked Saladin can protect me," I said trying to make the situation lighter.

"You just call if you need anything. We'll be here for you," he said seriously. Then he joked, "I don't care if your cat's a ninja; if you're in trouble, call."

"I will, thank you for everything," I said sincerely.

"Hey, for free food, I'll do almost anything," he laughed. "But, seriously, what are friends for?"

We walked into the living room. Jason was sitting on the couch with Saladin on his lap. Mr. McIntyre sat on a chair opposite. I sat down next to Jason and petted Saladin. Percy sat on my other side.

Mr. McIntyre sighed and massaged his temples.

"Amy, what happened exactly?" he asked.

"Dan decided to go to the arcade with his friends, so I went ahead to the bus. As we were driving…" I explained the entire thing, except Cahill or Vesper, Percy and Jason were still here.

"What were you all doing in Central Park?" Mr. McIntyre asked the boys when I finished.

"Just chatting and wandering," Percy replied.

"Why?" Mr. McIntyre pressed. _I hope he remembers we're not in court. He doesn't need to be a lawyer right now._ I thought.

"Because I haven't seen any of them in- what is it now, a year? Anyway, I wanted to catch up with my sister and friends," Jason replied.

Mr. McIntyre sighed. "Alright, I'll take over from here. Thank you, boys, for helping Amy. Please, go home and rest."

"Okay, if you need anything, call us," Percy said before turning to Jason. "Jay, let's get our suitcases and put them in the car." Percy and Jason got up and left the room to do that. Saladin crawled into my lap.

"Amy, I do share your worry, but I must remind you that panic won't help our loved ones. Keeping calm is important, especially when we don't understand yet what's happening and who's behind it." I simply nodded as I listened to Percy and Jason coming in from the garage. They entered the room.

"Okay, we're ready to go," Percy said.

"I'll walk you guys to your car," I said as I got up and carried Saladin in my arms. Mr. McIntyre got up also. He shook both boys' hands.

"Thank you, once again. It was a pleasure to meet you," Mr. McIntyre said.

"You too, sir, take care," Percy replied.

"It was my pleasure to meet you also. Good- bye for now," Jason said. The three of us left for the garage, leaving Mr. McIntyre in the living room. When the three of us reached the door we stopped and said our good- byes.

**Percy POV**

Jason and I drove away from the Cahill's home.

"Ready for Italy?" Jason asked me.

"Yeah, just not ready for a plane trip," I told him.

"Come on, my dad promised he wouldn't blow us up," Jason replied.

"Us? You mean me. He promised not to blast me. He wouldn't bother you."

"He wouldn't blast either of us. I would be on the same plane and be right next to you."

"I don't know. He has good aim."

Jason didn't bother replying, he just laughed.

**Percy POV**

When we got back home I remembered that I needed to call Annabeth.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to IM Annabeth and then we can go," I told Jason. He nodded and started to tell Mom and Paul about our time at Amy's house as I walked into the bathroom. I made a rainbow and Annabeth soon became visible. Her back was to me. "Hey, Wise Girl, how's it going?" She jumped startled and whipped around to face me.

"Gods, Seaweed Brain, don't scare me like that. Where have you been? I thought you were going to call me yesterday," Annabeth said.

"Yeah I'm sorry. It was a very weird day yesterday. I had to help out a friend and the gods need me and Thalia, Jason, Tyson, Nico, and Hazel to go to Italy and get something for them."

"When are you leaving?"

"Umm… in a little bit." I winced at her expression.

"Today, you're leaving today! We were supposed to spend time together tomorrow," she said furiously. _Oops… I forgot about that._

"I know; I am so sorry. I wish I didn't have to, but I don't want Zeus to get mad. When I get back we can do whatever you want. It will be a whole day just for you," I tried to sooth her. She softened a bit.

"Alright," she said. "Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" I told her about everything that happened yesterday. The only thing she had to say was, "Seaweed Brain, you get into way too much trouble."

"Hey, it's not my fault!" I defended myself. "I don't go around trying to get in trouble."

"Do you want me to help you with your project?" she asked changing the subject.

"Amy and I finished it already."

"Oh, well, how about I check it?" I could see she was trying not to get upset about not having anything to do to help.

"I would love if you check it, but…" I trailed off, not wanting Annabeth to get more upset.

"But?" she persisted.

I took a deep breath before saying, "Amy has it."

"She does? Do you want a good grade? I would suggest having someone else who isn't having any problems right now and correct it." Annabeth said.

"Amy is really smart. I'm sure her corrections are right, and she won't lose it."

"And I'm not smart or will lose it?"

"No, I didn't say that. You're extremely smart and wouldn't lose it either. It's just that I don't want to bother you, since you're working so hard on-"

"So I'm too busy to help with your project, and you're too busy to make our date?" Annabeth cut me off.

"No! I mean yes, no… I mean…" I stumbled over my words, trying desperately to fix this. Suddenly, someone on Annabeth's end called out something.

"I have to go," she said stiffly.

"Annabeth, please, I-" I was cut off as Annabeth waved her hand through the connection.

There was a knock on the door.

"Percy, we need to leave now if we are going to make our flight." Jason said on the other side of the door.

_I hope with some time Annabeth will forgive me._

I sighed and opened the door.

"'Kay, let's go," I said to Jason.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, Annabeth's just mad at me."

"I'm sure she'll get over it soon."

"I hope so."


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: **Thanks so much for the reviews. I'm glad you like my story. Evan isn't in this story, but Ian is. He will come in soon. No flames please, and enjoy Chapter 11._

**Percy POV**

Mom and Paul dropped us off at the airport. Jason shook both of their hands and said good-bye to each before going and checking us and our luggage in. I took a little longer. I gave them both a hug.

"Oh, Paul, I almost forgot. Amy and I finished our project," I said.

"That's good. Take care, Percy, and try not to blow up anything," Paul said before climbing back into the car.

"Paul's right honey, be careful. I'll have your favorite blue candy waiting for you here. I love you. Good luck to you and the others," My mom said before hugging me once more.

"Thanks, and I will. I love you too. Bye, Mom. See you later, Paul." I returned my mom's hug before going into the airport to catch up to Jason.

**Amy POV**

Soon after Percy and Jason left, a helicopter came. Mr. McIntyre and I were discussing what the kidnapper's ransom would be when we heard the whirl of blades overhead.

"Quick! To the basement," Mr. McIntyre ordered. We ran towards there, but not before both of us saw the helicopter drop a package and speed off.

The package had a parachute. It lazily drifted into a hedge of emerald cedars. We stopped and looked at the package from where we were.

"I'm going to get it," I decided. I sprinted outside, Mr. McIntyre followed behind closely.

I got a good look at the package as Mr. McIntyre cut the parachute off with his pocket knife. The package was a canvas bag wrapped in plastic that looked waterproof. It looked about half the size of a shoe box. After Mr. McIntyre removed the plastic and canvas, a wad of bubble wrap tumbled out. I caught it before it could hit the ground and removed the tape and wrap.

"A phone?" I wondered out loud. "At least that's what it looks like, I guess. I've never seen anything like it."

"It does seem like a phone though," Mr. McIntyre agreed. I turned the device over in my hands.

"There's no brand name or model number on it," I noticed.

"Nothing that can be traced," the lawyer replied. "We can try to open it up and see if there's anything in there to help identify it."

"No, I think if somebody takes the time and trouble to parachute a cell phone down on your front lawn, they're going to call it," I argued. I pressed the power switch and the device lit up, turning on. There was a chime and a text message appeared on screen.

Greetings, Amy Cahill.

I'd hoped to meet you in person, but perhaps it is better this way.

Congratulations on your escape from my team. Interesting friends you keep. I thought they'd never leave. Anyway, you have proven yourself worthy of the task I now present to you.

After you succeed, I will release Regan Holt, Phoenix Wizard, Natalie Kabra, Ted Starling, Alistar Oh, Nellie Gomez, your dear Uncle Fiske, and your darling brother Dan. Until then, they will remain with me as a guarantee of your cooperation. Your brother misses you so much, you better hurry.

If you do not arrive in Florence, Italy, by tomorrow morning, one Cahill will die. If police are alerted, one Cahill will die. If my instructions are not followed to the letter, one Cahill will die. We hold only eight. You do the math.

You will hear from me upon your arrival in Florence. Have a pleasant journey.

Vesper One

_Vesper._That was the purpose behind all my training. A centuries-old adversary shrouded in a cloak of mystery, but I knew they'd be coming.

My fingers worked lightening fast on the phone's minuscule keyboard: I am offering to trade myself for hostages.

I pressed send, and the phone responded: Recipient Unknown.

I tried again: We must meet to discuss terms.

I was granted in return the same answer as before.

"Very ingenious, he can reach us, but we can't reach him," Mr. McIntyre remarked.

I touched my custom made watch. It was made from a family heirloom- a gold ring. I couldn't ever think about the Vespers without reaching for it. It was an instinctive reaction.

William McIntyre's face looked gray. "Come back inside, and I'll tell you what I know. However, it isn't very much, not when lives are at stake."

We went to the parlor and nestled in the velvet upholstery before he began to speak.

"The Cahills are the most powerful family in our history, however, that doesn't mean we don't have rivals. Five hundred years ago, in Gideon Cahill's time, there was a man named Damien Vesper- a frightening man perhaps, a peer of our ancestor, but a man with a dark side."

"Gideon had no dark side? He created the serum that only almost got us all killed," I scoffed.

"Maybe so," the lawyer acknowledged. "However, Gideon had been searching for a cure for a plague when he made his unfortunate concoction. Damien Vesper wasn't so interested in the humankind's welfare. He, too, was a great alchemist. The nature of his research, unfortunately, was far more destructive."

"For example?" I asked, accepting Saladin onto my lap.

Mr. McIntyre shrugged. "Regrettably, that information has been lost. Or maybe we never obtained it."

My brows furrowed. "But… the Vespers are more like a secret society, right? They aren't his descendants, are they?"

"True, the Vespers aren't a family but a bunch of ruthless partners," the lawyer confirmed. "Still, some may be direct descendants of Damien. They are controlled by a Council of Six, dedicated fully to making Damien Vesper's dream- whatever that may be- come true."

"that still doesn't explain some important things," I pointed out. "Why us? What is good to the Vespers if I go to Italy? I don't know what Damien was working on, do you?"

"Don't you see?" he replied. "The clue hunt is finished. Vesper One must believe that you and Dan have captured the serum."

"Why doesn't he ask for it? Why'd he take Dan and not ask him?" I challenged.

"I cannot answer that," Mr. McIntyre admitted. "We know the barest bones of our situation- that our enemies have kidnapped the ones we love in order to bend us to their will."

I thought about this. "Alright, but if I'm bust getting ordered around in Italy, shouldn't someone be here to hold the fort down? We could ask Sinead to hurry back and help."

"Very wise," he agreed. "Another important concern- news of the kidnappings will spread rather quickly within the family. You'll have to reach out to as many as you can to avoid a lot of chaos and panic." I got worried at his suggestion.

"Couldn't you do that instead?"

The lawyer shook his head. "I don't have that kind of authority."

"But I _do_?" I cried.

"No one can command the Cahills," he acknowledged. "Even Gideon couldn't control his own children. This, much like the serum, is the reason why our family branches have been feuding for five hundred years. Only one thing holds sway with us- the thirty-nine clues."

"You mean we won the clue hunt, so we have to do it, but Dan's not here, so it's just me?" He nodded. "Lucky me."

**Percy POV**

"Percy, come on," Jason struggled to get me on the plane.

"I am… eventually," I pulled away.

"When, thirty years from now?" he retorted and proceeded to haul me onto the plane.

_Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. _I chanted in my head.

"Perce, you're not going to die. Relax," Jason said, as if reading my mind. We took our seats. I sat on Jason's left. On Jason's right was a window. Everyone settled into their seats. As the plane took off I gripped the armrests for dear life. The flight attendant came around taking orders.

"Would either of you gentlemen like something for the trip? It will be about 10 hours before we reach Florence." she asked.

"Can I have a slice of pizza and a glass of water, please?" Jason replied.

"Of course. Is he okay?" she asked gesturing to me. I would have responded, but I was too focused on not getting myself killed. Jason looked at me.

"Oh yeah, he's fine, just a little air sick. I think he should just have a glass of water and he'll feel better." Jason said.

"Okay, it'll be right up," the attendant said going to the next passenger.

_This is going to be a long trip. _I thought.


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: **Thank you all for the lovely reviews! Here is chapter 12! Ian is in the story now and Amy will be heading to Italy. Enjoy and no flames please._

**Amy POV**

When we rebuilt Grace's Manor we added a communication and command center in the attic. It's stuffed full of high tech gear.

The babble of voices was deafening and made my head hurt. Thirty-six screens are on with thirty-six angry Cahills, each with a different opinion of what to do immediately. There were tears from Phoenix's mother, Leila Wizard, blind rage from the Holts, genuine distress with also cold calculation from Ian Kabra, and Sinead's and Ned's distress and upset emotions. Sinead had traveled to meet Ted, Ned, and Alistar at the hospital, only to find out about the kidnappings from Ned.

On monitor number 27 (Asia/ Oceana) Jonah wizard pleaded with his aunt on monitor 11 (southwestern USA). His normally confident features were replaced with a deep concerned expression.

"Leila, you can't call the cops! The Vesper said no police, and the dude isn't playing!"

"So I'm supposed to do nothing at all when my little boy has been abducted?" Leila demanded.

I tried to step in and help Jonah. "You are supposed to leave it in my hands. I'm the one the Vespers contacted." I didn't expect so much acid in her next comment.

"And exactly who are you? A sixteen-year-old child," Leila snapped.

"She's a Madrigal, that's who she is!" Eisenhower yelled. He had only one volume setting, which was unfortunately, loud. "I never trusted them before, and I'm definitely not about to start now! How do we know they aren't behind the kidnappings? That they made the Vespers up? I've never heard of any Vesper!"

Sinead spoke up on 22 (West Asia/ Middle East). "Why would Amy kidnap her own family?" she pointed out. "It's also happening to all the branches not just the Thomas."

Ned who was with her at Tel Aviv, where he'd been accepted as an inpatient, nodded. "You should have seen the guys who grabbed Alistar and Ted! They had meant business-" His train of thought was erased off as pain contorted his face.

I tried to get the conversation back under control, but my stammer kept getting in the way. "It'll be better for R-Re- it'll be better for Regan if we k-keep our heads-"

_This is a global high-tech brawl more than a meeting. No one can get bickering Cahills to unite! McIntyre is insane to put me in charge. I mean, sure, there had been some cooperation at the Clue Hunt's end, but it was the younger generation, just a handful._

"Why should we give this kidnapper what he wants?" Eisenhower demanded. "We can't let him get away with grabbing our family! That'll just encourage him to come and hit us again!"

"Dad, he's got Regan!" Hamilton argued.

"Hamilton's right," I quickly put in. "We are at Vesper One's mercy right now- at least until we can rescue the hostages. We have to figure out where he's h-holding the h-host-tages-" I glanced at McIntyre. He watched impassively as I floundered in front of the entire family. _Thanks for the help._ I thought sarcastically.

Eisenhower's veins bulged as he waved off Hamilton's efforts to quiet him. "I'm not putting my daughter's life in the hands of a babbling teeny-bopper! You don't even know or have your own plan! Make your mind up! Are you doing what the Vesper tells you or are you searching for the hostages?"

This inquiry about strategy jolted me out of helplessness. "We're going to do both!" I said.

I straightened my back, ramrod straight and bend slightly forward, as if leaning into the next challenge, just like Grace. I looked directly into the camera broadcasting me all around the world. "I propose a two-pronged response. I'll travel to Italy and follow Vesper One's demands. We don't have a choice. Our hostages' safety depends on that. Sinead, can you come back and set up a Cahill command center in Grace's house? Ian, will you help her?"

"Of course," Sinead said.

"I'll be on the next flight," Ian promised.

"The command center will have two missions. First, to find out where the hostages are being held, so we can rescue them. Second, we need to answer a huge question: who are the Vespers and what are they trying to obtain? They've been dogging our family since the Cahill family has been around, yet they are a complete and total question mark. As horrendous these kidnappings are, they may possibly be just the beginning. If we're at war, we ought to learn something about our enemies, especially when they seem to know an awful lot about all of us." I soon secured promises of help from Cahills of all branches all over the world. "Its settled, then, I'll keep Vesper One happy in Italy. Sinead and Ian will keep you posted from here."

Ian spoke up on monitor 4. "Is that the cat?" Saladin, with his tail in the air, marched across the keyboards. "That cat hates me."

"Why should it be different from everyone else, Lucian?" Eisenhower Holt growled. _Did he __have__ to say that?_

McIntyre decided now would be a good time to appear at my elbow and help. "That's the exact kind of infighting our loved ones could be killed because of. We are more than just the separate branches of Lucian, Janus, Ekaterina, Tomas, and Madrigal. We are all Cahills, and we're under attack."

I cut the connection and sighed. "Well, I did the best I could. I don't know if any one actually believed me."

Mr. McIntyre placed a hand on my shoulder. "You did marvelous, my dear. You can't expect to erase five hundred years of mistrust and hostility in a ten-minute conversation. I don't believe anyone could do that better- and I include Grace in that."

I loaded my small suitcase and backpack in McIntyre's car for the ride to the airport. Inside my backpack was a smoke bomb that looked like a lollipop, in fact, on an airport security X-ray it would appear as a lollipop.

I scratched under Saladin's collar. "Be careful, Saladin. Don't be too mean to Ian."

McIntyre started the car and called for me to get in. I sat shotgun as we drove to the airport. How little did I know that I wasn't the only one going to Italy today.

I flew first class to Florence. Once I was settled on a bench in the Florence airport I fished out the Vesper phone. I looked at the screen. It showed a picture of a white and featureless room. Wearing prison-style jumpsuits were the eight Cahill hostages. The caption said: Our guests.

_I'll send it to the comm. center. Sinead should be there by now to analyze it._

_But this isn't something to just be analyzed._

_I can't fall to pieces, that won't help them. _I argued with myself. I took out my laptop and downloaded the picture. Then I linked it to the comm. Center.

As I waited for it to load I took out a small blackened spiral notebook. McIntyre gave this to me before I left. He said it was Grace's, but he couldn't understand what she wrote. I flipped through the pages until I found the clearest. On it was written:

VSP 79- Puny described first test.

_Well, VSP could mean Vesper, but what does "Puny" mean? _Classic Grace- weird and shorthand of her own.

The computer finally beeped signaling the upload complete. A moment later, Ian Kabra appeared on screen. I was surprised.

"Hey, Ian, isn't it about two in the morning over there?"

"I'm still on London time, jet lag. I don't suppose you have tea in this mausoleum, Love."

"D-don't call m-me love." _How does he always make me stutter? _ Recollecting myself I added," There's diet Snapple in the fridge, if you want."

"I figured not," he said as he pulled the picture out of the printer. He smiled grimly as he looked at it. "My poor sister, she won't like that jumpsuit."

"Thank you for getting there so fast. What happened to your face? Have you been bothering Saladin?" On Ian's olive skin from the corner of his eye over his cheek to his chin was a long scratch.

"No! Saladin has been attacking me for no reason at all." Then changing the subject Ian asked, "Any word on what your 'task' will be?"

My shoulders slumped. "No, not yet, it's driving me crazy. When will Vesper One contact me?"

"He's trying to keep you off balance," Ian reasoned. "It's a good strategy, very good mastery of the tactical arts."

Ian would know about strategy. It's a Lucian specialty. As I regarded my cousin I thought of something: _Why is he saying positive things about Vesper One?_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: **Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I'm glad you all like the AmyxJason pairing! Enjoy and no flames please! We now join our characters in Italy…_

**Percy POV**

We finally got off the flying metal death trap. Surprisingly I didn't get blown up!

"See, Perce? It wasn't that bad." Jason said.

"Sure it wasn't," I muttered sarcastically. He lightly whacked the back of my head.

"Jason, Percy, over here!" Hazel and Thalia called. Jason had contacted the others to let them know we were coming. We went over to the girls.

"How's it going?" Jason asked them as we gave them hugs.

"Fine," Hazel said. Thalia grinned evilly at me. _Uh oh, what's she thinking?_

"So, Percy," she drawled. "Did you have a good flight?"

"Why, yes, I did, Thalia. It was the best plane ride I've ever had." I replied. I now understood her evil smile. She is going to torture me about the flight, and Jason will probably help her.

"Yeah, he was only holding the armrests in a death grip," Jason laughed. _Yep, I was right._

"Aww, those poor armrests," Thalia laughed with him.

"Well, it's not like all of us can fly in a plane without getting killed," Hazel backed me up.

We soon hailed a taxi and headed to the hotel. When we reached the room, Jason and I greeted Nico and Tyson.

"How did everything go on your end?" Nico asked once we were all seated. So, Jason and I described our adventure.

"Seriously, Percy? You told Amy about the war with Gaea for your extra credit project?" Nico said shaking his head.

"Yep, I'm sure I'll get that extra credit now." I replied.

"What about the 'Medusa'?" Jason asked.

"Its security is top notch. I'm not sure even the Stolls could snatch it." Thalia said disappointedly.

"Well, I'm not a Stoll and neither is Jason, but let's see if we can figure something out." I suggested.

We reached the Uffizi Gallery and were looking at the painting and its room.

The "Medusa" painting was almost as ugly as the gorgons. Medusa was actually way more hideous.

"What do you guys think?" Hazel asked.

"Well, we could…" Jason trailed off as something caught his attention. I followed his gaze and spotted a fiery red hair girl with jade green eyes surveying the room and the "Medusa" painting.

"Amy?" I wondered.

**Amy POV**

I settled into my suite at Hotel Ilario. The Vesper phone beeped as a text appeared.

Welcome to Florence.

You now know that our guests are well treated. So far.

Your task: In the Uffizi Gallery, you will see a painting by Caravaggio called "Medusa." You shall steal it and await further instructions.

The consequences of failure will be the same. One Cahill will die. You've now seen the photograph. Eeny meeny.

Vesper One

"A _painting_?" I spoke out loud. "_That's _what he wants?"

_And not just any painting- a Caravaggio, a national treasure._

"It doesn't matter," I said to myself. "He's got Dan. I have to find a way to give him it."

"First things first," I decided. "Time to look at some art."

I had always dreamed of visiting the Uffizi Gallery with all its fabled beauty. Today, however, the only thing I noticed was the security guards, locks, wires, cameras, pressure plates, alarm Klaxons. And those were only the visible defenses. Hard experience has taught me that the biggest danger often lies in the factors that cannot be prepared for.

Another of my concerns was the crowd. This museum was one of the most popular attractions in Italy for tourists. Visitors were everywhere. Even if I could manage to elude Uffizi's security, I would never be alone with the object. At the best, I would have to commit the crime in front of fifty witnesses.

I checked the museum map and followed it to the "Medusa" on the third floor.

"Eww," was my first reaction.

On a round canvas mounted on a wooden shield was the hideous image of the severed head of Medusa. Her snake hair was wild and unruly, blood still dripped from her neck. The eyes were open wide, staring. The expression was a perfect mask of horror, hatred, and ugliness. It looked so real and had a lot of depth that it was as if the disembodied head was coming at you with evil intent.

I was silent for a while, just staring at the painting, too mesmerized to look away. Coming back to myself, I pushed closer through the crowd for a better look. The shield was mounted on the wall; it had a narrow metal frame. It didn't seem very heavy, but I wouldn't know until I was lifting it.

If I ever got that far.

There were two uniformed watchmen in the Caravaggio room as well as two security cameras watching the room closely. I scanned for blind spots- there were none. The only possible cover was human- hiding in the middle of the crowd.

_But crowds are made of people, and people are completely unpredictable._

An art class arrived- a teacher with about a dozen students carrying portfolios. They sat on various benches and began to sketch.

I sidled over to one of the watchmen. "Pretty packed today, isn't it?"

"It is always as you say, packed," the guard replied. "The Uffizi attracts nearly two million visitors each year."

"That's amazing! Were you working here a few years ago when they had that huge art heist?"

"There has never been a robbery here in modern times." The man bristled.

"Are you sure?" I asked surprised. "I heard that some man snatched a cherub painting, stuck it under his coat, and walked right out the door with it."

The guard laughed. "This is impossible. At the Uffizi? Never. Each artwork has its own weight sensor. If any piece is removed, an alarm sounds, and every entrance locks down automatically. Your thief would never get out."

_This is going to be tough._

"I must have been thinking of another museum. Maybe yours was the night robbery. They broke in through the roof and-"

"What imaginations you Americans have!" The guard said, now truly amused. "At night the museum is a fortress. Where there are no guards, there are motion sensors. Not even a little moth could get into this building."

"That's pretty sweet," I said with little enthusiasm.

I remained in the Caravaggio room longer and explored possible exits. The museum was like Fort Knox, no escapes before everything locks down. The task was so overwhelming.

_Break it down. Solve the individual problems separately._

I walked outside and strolled through the long central courtyard, and called the command center.

"Hello?" a silky British voice asked.

"Ian? It's Amy. Could you get Jonah and Hamilton on call for me?"

"Sure, hold on." I waited for a couple minutes before I was greeted with Jonah's and Hamilton's voices. "Amy, you're on speaker. Sinead, McIntyre, and I are in the comm. and Jonah and Hamilton are on screens." Ian informed me.

"'Kay, thanks. I need your guy's help with the Vesper's demands." Suddenly, I felt a hand tap my shoulder. I whirled around. I found myself facing the six people who rescued me from the Vespers. "Hi?" I squeaked.

"Amy, is everything all right?" Sinead asked.

"What are you doing in Italy, Amy?" Percy questioned.

"Who's there, Amy?" McIntyre asked.

"Well, Percy, Mr. McIntyre thought it'd be good if I went on vacation, so the kidnappers wouldn't know where I was for any further attempts," I replied to Percy. I made sure to say his name, so McIntyre would hopefully get who I was with at the moment.

"Oh, that's not good. Amy, try to get away from them." McIntyre said. I heard him explain to the others about Percy and his friends rescuing me and staying the night.

"Wouldn't' it be safer if you stayed home under police protection?" Jason asked me concerned, "And not in Italy alone?"

"Should we get someone to shoot to kill?" Ian asked.

"You just love shooting people don't you?" I muttered into the phone. I heard a few chuckles from my family.

"Guilty as charged," Ian replied.

"What?" Percy asked.

I blinked. "Oh, not you, sorry, I'm not in Italy alone, though. I'm with my cousins." I lied.

"Where are they?"

"Oh, they're around here somewhere. I'm supposed to meet them at the airport for my other cousin's plane later."

"What are their names?" Hazel asked.

"Hamilton, Jonah, and Ian. They all want to see art, like Caravaggio's 'Medusa' here. They're big art fans. The three of them would just love to see it." I said.

"Why am I coming?" Ian questioned surprised. "I thought you just wanted Hamilton and Jonah."

"Where are you staying?" Percy wanted to know.

Thalia smacked his head. "At a hotel, Seaweed Brain, where else?"

Percy and Thalia continued to bicker. I checked my watch. Time to get out of here.

"Hey, guys, I've got to go. It was nice seeing you all. Good- bye!" I said and turned to leave. A hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me back. I turned and saw it was Jason.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Would it make you all feel better if I gave you my phone number?"

"Yeah, I think it would," Jason said.

"Alright, here," I said writing down my number on a piece of paper and handing it to him. "Good- bye now, guys!" This time I left without a problem. I risked a look back and saw Jason still watching me.

_He's so sweet and cute._ I thought. Whoa, where did that come from? Hostages, Amy, focus.

"Are you free now, Amy?" Hamilton asked.

"One second," I replied. I swerved through the swarm of people until I reached a spot where I could talk. "Okay, now I am."

"Jason's so wonderful to you!" Sinead sighed. I was about to agree with her when Jonah interrupted.

"Yo, dudes, con we get back to the topic?"

_Oh right, plan._

"Of course, so I have this plan, but I need you three for about a day or two, I believe. I won't go into too much detail right now, but I need you guys to…" I laid out part of my plan as I walked to my hotel room.


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: **Hello! I'm sorry I haven't updated this sooner. Thank you so much to the people who reviewed! You guys are awesome! I love reading what you think. The next chapter might not be up very soon. I am currently being swamped with things. Next chapter will have Jason's POV. Please enjoy chapter 14 and, as usual, please don't flame._

**Percy POV**

"You've got water in your head!" Thalia said.

"And you've got pinecones in yours!" I snapped back at her. Nico and Tyson pulled us apart.

"Brother, stop, please," Tyson said. I stopped and looked around. Amy was nowhere in sight.

"Where'd Amy go?" I asked.

"She had to go meet her cousins," Hazel replied.

"Yeah, and I think we've completely freaked her out now." Nico piped up.

"But she never answered me!" I whined. Yeah, I know- real mature.

"We don't need to know where she's staying! We are not stalkers!" Thalia snapped at me. I was about to retort when Jason intervened.

"It's okay, Perce. She gave me her number, so we can call her when we want."

_When'd he get her number? _

"Have you guys figured out a plan yet?" Hazel asked, steering us back onto the topic at hand.

"Nope, not yet anyways." I replied.

"No, I'm sure we will though." Jason replied also.

"Then let's go back to the hotel, and get some food, and think." Nico suggested.

Since it was a nice day, we walked back to the hotel. Each of us was lost in our own thoughts. I was in the back of the group, Jason and Thalia were in front of me, then Nico, Hazel, and Tyson in front of them. Thalia dropped back and walked next to me. She mumbled something.

"What?" I asked. She sighed.

"I said I…" she mumbled off again.

"I still can't understand you."

"I need you to do something for me." She said.

"You need my help?" I asked surprised.

"Yes! Please keep your voice down. I don't want him to hear!" she hissed, her eyes flickered to Jason.

"What about Jason?" I said lowering my voice. I was suddenly afraid this was going to be a very awkward conversation about something wrong between siblings.

"I want you to talk to him."

"About what?"

"The girl, Amy."

"Why?"

"Well, for one, you know her better."

"Okay, and…"

"I think he likes her, but doesn't want to risk her getting hurt because she's a mortal. I want him to know it's alright, like you were with Rachel."

"Why do you think he likes her? Why can't you do it? What about Rachel? We never dated."

"Sure, you didn't. Anyway, he always seems to be thinking of her and lights up at her name. Also, I can't do it because, as I mentioned before, you know her better, and I'm a huntress, remember? I just want him to know mortals are okay. Amy won't be in danger with him."

"Oh, so basically, you just want him to know it is okay to hang out with mortals?"

Thalia sighed, "Yes, Percy, that's basically it."

"Why didn't you say so in the beginning?"

Thalia face palmed then walked back up next to Jason, muttering something about boys and stupidity. We went back to walking the way we were before. I sighed. How was I supposed to talk to Jason about what Thalia wanted me to? Should I corner and press him? Start a conversation about it? Turn a conversation to it? Wait for him to do something?

_Ugh, I'll get to it sometime._

We thought and planned for the rest of the day to no avail. Every idea, plan, suggestion, and thought was destroyed, nothing worked.

"You know, this seems like a job for Travis and Connor. We should think more like them." I said while we ate dinner.

"And do what- prank?" Nico asked.

"No, wait," Jason spoke up, "Percy's on the right track, I think."

"What do you mean?" Hazel questioned.

"Who is the best thief? Who could steal anything?" Jason asked us.

"Hermes!" Thalia exclaimed.

"The mailman?" Tyson asked.

"Yeah, Lord Mercury, why don't we ask him for help?" Jason suggested. That wasn't what I had in mind, I was thinking to get Connor and Travis, but that sounds like a good idea. Best one we have.

"Sure, why not try? We can IM him right now!" Hazel said, excited we were getting places.

Minutes later we were talking to Hermes and Apollo, who happened to be with him. We explained our predicament to them. Hermes had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"The Uffizi, hmm? That place has never been robbed." Hermes said. "I'll meet you there at 10:30 tomorrow morning to see what I can help with."

"Me too? Can I come, please?" Apollo whined. After he was told yes, he exclaimed, "This calls for a haiku!" Apollo cleared his throat and began,

"_Demigods are stuck,_

_They need my awesome help._

_They so worship me."_

Apollo turned to the demigods. "How was that?"

Hermes, behind Apollo's back, was mouthing '_Say great and leave.'_

"Yeah, that was great. Thanks so much for helping us. See you tomorrow!" I said and cut the Iris Message off.

"I actually think that was one of his better ones," Nico commented as we all headed to our beds that night. I thought about it.

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" I said before bidding everyone a good night.

**Amy POV**

I waited at the rear of the crowd of fans. Paying no attention to my famous cousin, I watched Jonah's entourage. They were unloading his luggage. My eyes were trained on two individuals in particular. One muscular young man was handling a carefully wrapped and secured parcel.

As the shrieking crowd followed Jonah into the terminal, I intercepted the two individuals I was watching.

"Have you got it?" I asked. The two young men turned and raised their flat visors, advertising Jonah's 2010 tour. Underneath the baseball caps were Ian Kabra and Hamilton Holt.

"Hey, Amester, how's it going?" Hamilton asked, grinning.

"How's it supposed to be going?" I replied wearily.

Hamilton turned serious and asked, "Any word on Reagan?"

"And Natalie?" Ian questioned, suddenly speaking.

"I saw a picture of them," I informed them. "They all look okay, but you've got to guess they're shaken up pretty bad." I switched the conversation. "Let's check out the merchandise."

"Not here," Ian warned.

"There's a VIP suite in the terminal. Jonah will meet us there," Hamilton explained.

Just like Hamilton said we all met there.

"Check it out," Jonah said while removing the bubble wrap and held up the picture for us all to see.

I took a step back. The shock was almost as powerful as it had been at the Uffizi yesterday. "It's perfect, every bit as disgusting as the real one! And so fast, I only called you yesterday."

Jonah shrugged. "Even the Janus can take a short cut every once in a while. You are able to do a lot with digitization these days. You break the picture you want down into squares and reproduce them one at a time. The other two are just as fly as this one."

"You mean just as horrid," Ian amended.

"The serpents don't help," Hamilton added. "They're like live fat spaghetti. I mean seriously, look- that snake's biting another snake's body. If that lady's thinking of a modeling career, she can forget it!"

Jonah clucked sympathetically. "You guys just don't have any appreciation for the power of the visual image. The Wiz used to be like you- until _Gangsta Chronicles_. When you're in the film industry, you really understand the whole picture's-worth-a-thousand-words deal."

"Here we go again," Hamilton said, rolling his eyes.

The rapper picked up one of the "Medusa" copies. "Just look at this sucker here. It's every slash or flick ever made packed into a single stomach-turning moment. That is why the Janus always respected Caravaggio. Back in the day, we even tried to marry him into the family- Rembrant's aunt, I believe. He didn't go for it."

"If she posed for this picture, I can see a reason why," Ian said.

"That wasn't it," Jonah told him. "The Janus records say Caravaggio was part of something bigger than us- the Cahills, that is. Remember, the family was pretty new back then- only had been a few generations past Gideon's time. But I think that the real reason artists love the 'Medusa' is the whole Da Vinci connection."

"_Leonardo _Da Vinci?" I asked in awe.

"The story goes that somebody gave Da Vinci a shield to decorate, and he painted the Medusa face on it- you know, turn your enemies to stone." A brilliant flash of the world-famous grin. "Nobody's ever seen Da Vinci's shield, but according to legend, Caravaggio used it as a model for his own 'Medusa.'"

"How many 'Medusas' are there?" Hamilton asked, frowning.

"Only one that matters," I told him with certainty. "The one we've got to steal from the Uffizi."

I took a piece of paper from my pocket, unfolded it, and held it out in front of my cousins. "Here's some more stuff we'll need."

1 pair coveralls

1 30 foot extension ladder

1 glass cutter

1 large artist portfolio

1 water pistol

1 bottle India ink

1 portable & collapsible trampoline

1 bicycle w/ basket

4 pizza boxes

Jonah whistled. "I hope you've got some crazy evil-genius strategy, Ames, 'cause- straight up- I don't get it."

I gave him a slight smile. "You'll see."


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: **Hey, okay, this is up a lot sooner than I thought it would be. Thank you to the few who reviewed the last chapter. This story is in Jason's POV, has the museum robbery, and a special guest all the way from Olympus! Please enjoy, and no flaming._

**Jason POV**

At 10:30 a.m. we met Lord Mercury and Lord Apollo outside the Uffizi. We bowed quickly when they arrived.

"Let's go look around," Lord Mercury said. We wandered around the museum. Lord Mercury pointed out security and thoughts of different ideas. Lord Apollo also helped, along with trying to make a haiku about what we were doing.

We finally made it to the Caravaggio room. We followed the two gods around until we came to rest by the door. Every one was coming up with ideas or pointing out problems. I listened in to the security details.

My mind started to wander. My eyes scanned the room. I spotted a boy about my age with blonde hair. He was pale and was sweating a lot; it seemed to me as though something big was about to happen and he was nervous about it. I'd seen the look on his face before from legion members going into their first battle. The guy I was watching caught the glance from someone. I followed his gaze and saw a familiar girl sitting on a bench sketching on a drawing pad, a large portfolio leaning against her legs. She glanced at the clock, like she was waiting for something.

My eyes flickered to the clock just as it turned 11 o'clock. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Amy suddenly move. I looked to see her pull out a water pistol from her portfolio and shoot a dark liquid- ink, I think- at the surveillance cameras.

The boy caught my attention as he leaped forward and wretched the "Medusa" off the wall. An alarm blared and throughout the Uffizi you could hear doors slam shut and lock. All escapes were being blocked.

The other demigods and I started to move forward when Lord Mercury spoke up. "Wait."

"But we'll lose the 'Medusa' then," Percy protested.

"Just wait, I want to see how they do this. Only two? They must have more, hmm," Lord Mercury pondered.

"Which two?" Thalia demanded.

"Oh, I see them. That blonde boy holding the 'Medusa' and that girl holding- is that three 'Medusas?'" Lord Apollo said, pointing. Sure enough, Amy was holding three "Medusa" forgeries. They had to be forgeries, seeing as the boy was holding the real one. Excellent fakes, but fakes none the less. She tossed them into the crowd. The instant the last one left her hand the boy threw the real "Medusa" like a Frisbee to her over the swarming crowd.

Amy caught it and in a single motion there was a hole in the window and the "Medusa" filling it. It must've been a precut hole. Amy seemed to be having trouble fitting it through the window. A surprised then frustrated and exasperated look covered her face. All of the sudden, she delivered a kick to the window with more power than I'd have ever thought of her. The glass shattered and fell along with the "Medusa," leaving three fakes, utter chaos, two impressed gods, and six confused demigods in its wake.

"Amy?" Tyson asked voicing the question we all had. The boy and Amy swept past us without a glance just before a group of guards came in. I doubted she realized we were here. There was a look of grim determination set on her face. I wanted to go after her, but Lord Mercury shot me a glance, warning me against it.

"You know her? I'd absolutely love to meet anyone who could come up with a plan as ingenious as that one." Lord Mercury said.

"Her name's Amy Cahill," Percy told the two immortals.

An 'aha' look passed over the two immortal's faces.

"A Cahill, hmm? Janus and Tomas, maybe?" Lord Apollo mused. "I like the Janus, great artists."

"The boy is definitely Tomas," Lord Mercury agreed. "But this girl- Amy was her name? - I'm not sure about her branch."

"Do you know who the boy was?" Lord Apollo questioned us as the guards tried to control the rampaging herd of people. We all shrugged.

"It could be one of her cousins," suggested Hazel. "She said she was here with three cousins."

Nico snapped his fingers. "That's right."

"Wait," I told them, thinking of what the gods were saying. "What do you know about Cahills?"

"Well, it's a long story…" Lord Apollo trailed off.

"We might as well tell them since we slipped," Lord Mercury sighed. "To shorten the story- the first of the Cahills, Gideon, was very smart. He was trying to come up with a cure for the plague that was happening. Athena pleaded with the council to bless Gideon, his family, and all generations to come with clear sight. She believed this would help them 'see' the way to save more people and that the Cahills would follow in Gideon's footsteps to help people. We, thinking it would help to save people, agreed."

"Boy, were we wrong," Lord Apollo muttered.

"What do you mean by Tomas and Janus?" Hazel asked them.

Lord Mercury smirked. "I'm sure your dear friend Amy could explain that along with where the 'Medusa' is."

Nico groaned, "How are we going to find her now? She's probably miles away."

"Nah, she'll get out of here when we do," Lord Apollo said. "They'll only let people out once they've interrogated everyone."

As if on cue, a guard came over and inquired about what we knew. We played dumb and innocent. We finally got let out of there, and the two gods waved good bye and wished us luck before disappearing.

"Let's split up and meet back at the hotel in one hour." Thalia suggested. Everyone agreed and split up.

I found Amy and that boy talking after about five minutes of searching. I couldn't find an opening to pull Amy away without the guy noticing, so I just walked right up behind them.

"Amy! How are you?" I asked. The two spun around.

"Oh, Jason, hi! I'm fine. How are you?" she replied. I could see how nervous she was, the way she bit her lip and played with her hair.

"I'm good. Actually, I wanted to talk to you," I said.

"About what?" demanded the boy. He moved ever so slightly in front of Amy, protecting her.

"Oh, uh, Jason, this is my cousin Hamilton. Hamilton, this is my friend Jason." Amy introduced us.

"That still doesn't answer my question," Hamilton growled. Wow, he's being really protective of her. Amy laid a hand on his arm closest to her.

"It'll be fine. He's not a kidnapper. I'll meet you three at the hotel, okay?" she told him softly. He grumbled something that I guess was "Okay" because he left. Amy turned to me. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Why don't we talk somewhere more private?" I said, grabbing her hand and tugging her into a nearby alley. Placing my hands on either side of her against a wall blacking any escape, I spoke, "That's better, now, why did you steal the 'Medusa?'"

"W-what do you mean?" she stuttered. A pang shot through my heart. I don't want to scare her, but I need answers.

"I was there, Amy. I saw you," I pressed. "Where is it? I need it"

Amy must've guessed I wasn't going to let this drop because she said, "I can't tell you. You have to believe me. Lives are at stake." She looked close to tears.

"Is it your brother?" I asked. Her face proved my suspicion right. "You're just going to obey everything the kidnappers want? Aren't you looking for him?"

"I'd do anything for my brother, wouldn't you for your sister?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation. I got her back and I wouldn't give her up for the world. I don't know what sudden impulse made me do it, but I leaned forward and quickly and gently pressed my lips against her forehead. "Be careful and good luck."

And in a flash I was gone, heading back to the hotel.

* * *

><p>I decided to take some back alleys to get to the hotel quicker.<p>

"Hey there, Lover Boy," a woman's voice said.

I spun around to find Lady Venus there, smiling at me. I bowed quickly.

"Lady Venus, what a surprise! Is everything all right?" I asked.

"Yep," she answered happily. "I just wanted to answer a question you have."

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Oh, you know, 'why did I kiss her?' Well, the answer is simple! You're in love!" She clapped her hands together.

Okay, so I was wondering about that, but that wasn't the answer I was looking for. "What are you talking about? We're just friends!"

"Still in denial," she clucked.

"No, I'm not! Why can't you just leave people as friends?"

"I do."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do!"

"Prove it, give me one example."

She paused and thought. "Oh, I know! Your sister is just friends with guys."

"She's a hunter of Lady Diana," I reminded the goddess. "You can't touch her."

"Fine," Lady Venus pouted. "How about Hazel and Frank or Percy and Annabeth?"

"Both are dating."

"But they were friends," she replied.

"But they still fell in love," I pointed out.

"Fine, you win, but, come one! I'm the goddess of love!" she whined. "It's in the job description!

"Well, Amy and I are just friends," I emphasized.

"I can prove you two love each other," she stated. "Or are you too scared to find out?"

"I'm not scared because there's nothing to find out," I scoffed. "How many times do I have to say that we are friends?" But deep down I could feel a twinge of doubt creep around. _Do I love Amy? Does she love me? _ I wasn't going to voice these thoughts, obviously. After all, I'm Praetor of the First Legion, I don't show weakness (if I can help it).

The love goddess grinned. "Well then, let's make a deal."

"What kind of deal?" I asked suspicious. A light flashed and in her hands appeared a silver ring with a large green stone and two smaller blue stones on either side of it, and a gold necklace with a eagle, wings spread, holding a lightning bolt in its claws.

"Put this necklace on Amy," she said. "You wear the ring. If the middle stone on the ring glows, then she loves you. If the two blue stones glow, then you love her."

"What's the deal?"

"If you put this on Amy and the ring glows, you have to do something about this love. If it doesn't glow, I'll leave you alone," she said simply.

I thought about it. "Sounds good, it's a deal."

"Great!" Lady Venus exclaimed and handed me the ring and necklace. I closed my eyes as she disappeared in a bright light.

"Hey, Jason," Percy called. I turned around to the way I was originally heading.

"Hey, Percy," I greeted.

"Was that Aphrodite?" Percy asked.

"Yep, she was trying to convince me that I'm in love with Amy."

"Well, are you?"

"No!" I said defensively. Then softer I said, "At least I don't think so."

Percy seemed to be arguing with himself in his head. He looked like he couldn't decide what to say until he finally spoke. "It's okay to be around mortals. You know that right?"

"Well, yeah, until the monsters come and you have to protect the mortals while trying to stay alive yourself. And then they will be completely freaked out- it's safer to stay away."

"Not necessarily. Sometimes the human scent will throw off the monsters or the human could fight for themselves and aren't afraid. Just look at my mom and me- no monsters after us at the apartment."

I simply nodded. Percy looked at the jewelry in my hands as I put them into one of my pockets.

"What are those for?" I quickly explained what the goddess told me to do and our deal. Percy simply asked, "Are you going to do it?"

I hesitated. "I don't know."

"Well, you don't have to do it right now," he comforted. "Besides, Amy's no where to be seen."

That last sentence brought me back to my original purpose. "I found her and questioned her. I'll tell you what I learned at the hotel when we meet the others."

He looked surprised at first then nodded. "Okay."

We headed back to the hotel when Percy suddenly spoke up, "Hey, I know this may sound weird, but do you know anything about my algebra teacher getting attacked by the fish in the aquarium in my science room?"

No, why? Did you do it?" I asked surprised.

"No! I didn't know about it until a couple of minutes ago when my mom told me through an IM. She thought I might've done it too."

"Do you think it was your dad?"

"Maybe," Percy said. "I guess we'll never know."

I was pretty sure if it wasn't Percy, then it was his dad, but I didn't press the matter. I was too busy trying to figure out my feelings and what to do about the deal I made.


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: **Chapter 16 is here! Thank you to my readers and reviewers who have stuck with this story this long. It means a lot to me. Enjoy and please don't flame._

**Amy POV**

Jason just kissed me. Jason knows I have the "Medusa." He kissed me. He has an almost spot-on guess why I stole it. He just _kissed_ me. _What's going on?_

These thoughts flew through my bedraggled brain as I road in a taxi to my hotel. I shook my head and sighed.

"I'll figure this Jason thing out later. Maybe Sinead can help. First things first, and that's the hostages." I whispered almost inaudibly to myself.

I thanked and paid the taxi driver. Reaching my suite, I opened the door to a very appalling sight. The "Medusa," in all its hideous glory, glared down at me from the wall of the sitting room. I shut the door quickly.

"Are you all insane?" I fumed. "What if room service sees it?"

Hamilton shrugged. "We don't need room service. We've got leftover pizza. Want a slice of it?"

"You Americans have a strange idea of food," Ian said.

Jonah peered up at the masterpiece of the Renaissance critically. "Man, the copies just don't do it justice. This one's the truth."

"Only a Janus," Ian groaned. Then he turned to Hamilton and me. "Did anyone see you take it?"

"The cameras were blind, and the guards were trying to get the three fakes that were floating around in the crowd," Hamilton said. "By the time they figured out anything was missing, we'd already slipped into the next room in the confusion."

I leaned against the door, feeling weak. _Someone knows I have it. And someone almost knows exactly why._

"The Janus ought to put you on the payroll to scoop up a few of our artworks that have fallen into the wrong hands over the years." Jonah regarded me with respect. My face must've been pale because his expression became worried. "Cuz, are you all right?"

Hamilton and Ian heard the worry in his voice and turned to look at me.

"Yeah," I replied. "Just a little tired."

"What did that Jason guy say?" Hamilton's eyes flashed. "He seems to be everywhere you are. He must be a Vesper. He could tell us where the hostages are."

"Don't jump to conclusions," I told him as I set my stuff down and sat next to Jonah on the couch. "The thing to worry about is that he knows."

"Knows what?" Ian asked.

"That I stole the 'Medusa,' that I have it in my possession. A reason why I took it," I replied, closing my eyes and leaning back.

"What reason does he know?" Jonah asked.

"Dan," I spoke softly, not opening my eyes. "He knows Dan was kidnapped. He knows I'd do anything for my brother."

"What does he want about it?" Ian questioned gently, most likely to try to keep me calm and not get upset about Dan and cry. My eyes opened, and I sat up.

"That's the odd thing," I told my cousins. "It seemed like he was going to steal it himself or the group of them- Percy and the rest- because he said he needs it."

The four of us sat and thought about what he could've meant. A ring tone filled the parlor. Instinctively, I looked at the Vesper phone, but the sound rang out from my own cell phone. It vibrated across the surface of the coffee table. I picked it up.

"Hello?"

A distant cheer wafted through the headset.

"That was brilliant! I knew you could do it!" Sinead's voice exclaimed.

"Very well done, indeed," William McIntyre approved.

I smiled in spite of myself. In all the awful tension of seven hostages in danger and the Vesper's scheming toward who knows what terrible end, it was very easy to overlook the day's achievement. Stealing the "Medusa" was a despicable offense (not to mention a felony), but it was an amazing achievement, too.

"Wait a second. I'll put you on speaker," I said as I switched it to speaker, so my three cousins could hear. "Okay. How did you find out about it?"

"You made CNN," Sinead said. "They're calling it the crime of the century."

"We're not criminals," I said defensively.

"You did what you had to do," McIntyre soothed. "Admirably. Now you just have to wait for instructions from Vesper One."

"How long will that take?" Jonah wondered.

"Not long," Ian predicted. "If it made the news in Attleboro, it stands to reason that it made the news where he is."

"Okay. How about after the drop off, Ian goes back to help out at the Comm. And Jonah and Hamilton will stay a little longer, just in case, to help me?" I suggested. We all agreed and soon hung up.

Minutes later the Vesper phone chimed, drawing all eyes in the hotel suite. A foot race began for the special smart phone. Hamilton got there first and held up the message for the others to see.

Very impressive, Cahill. Remind me to go shoplifting with you later in happier times.

To business: Bring the merchandise to the Medici crypt at the San Lorenzo Basilica. Tomorrow, noon.

I do hope your skill in acquiring this item is matched by your punctuality in handing it over. Tardiness will not be tolerated.

Vesper One.

"What about our hostages?" screamed Hamilton at the phone. "What about Reagan?"

"We can't text him back," I said grimly. "His location is blocked."

"Dude's asking a lot," Jonah observed. "How does he expect us to cough up the swag until he cuts loose our people?"

"He's got our hostages," Ian reminded him. "We've got nothing."

The cocky defiance expression melted off Jonah's famous face at the thought of Phoenix. "If they hurt the little guy-"

I wished I could say something encouraging, but we're at Vesper One's mercy.

And I'm really afraid that he has none.

* * *

><p>Florence's main market district is where the Basilica of San Lorenzo is located. Midday, the narrow streets were crowded and progress was slow- especially for our long stretch limo provided by the Italian record company of Jonah Wizard. With the car mired in traffic and the church's towering dome in view, we decided to abandon our ride and head out on foot.<p>

The "Medusa" was wrapped in a very voluminous lawn bag I held in my arms. I was still nervous- all of Italy, no, the whole world, was looking for this thing. Is it just me, or are a lot of eyes turning our way? Maybe it's Jonah. Even with the brim of his baseball cap pulled low and dark shades on the famous face still seemed familiar.

I heard a huge roar of motors and turned to see six large Harley Davidsons coming down the road. Their black-jacketed riders weaved in and out of the slow creeping vehicles.

I barely had time to wonder what motorcycle gang goes cruising in a traffic jam when the choppers surrounded us on the side walk. The lead biker suddenly reached out and shoved me to the street. As I fell, a second rider wheeled around my opposite flank and wrenched the lawn bag with the parcel in it from my arms.

I saw Ian hurl himself at my attacker, but in that instant, a third Harley blocked his way. A leather clad stiff-arm shoved Ian back and sent him tumbling over the hood of a slow crawling taxi.

Two more motorcycles streaked past on the curb side. A boot kicked out in a flash, tripping Jonah from behind. Hamilton, trying to fight back, punched, but his punch slammed into a hard helmet. He grasped his selling knuckles with a shout of agony.

I was up and on my feet again, running full speed. Tracing a serpentine escape path through the snarl, the package gained distance ahead. Seconds later, the gang vanished around a corner. Dodging the pedestrians and food carts, the four of us barreled after the rapidly fading engine noise.

Pounding around the corner, I pulled up short. "Where'd they go?"

Ian came up from behind, gasping, "Keep running!"

"No use, cuz," Jonah wheezed, his shades lost, and famous eyes wild. "They're gone."

"No fair!" raged Hamilton. "Those dudes ripped off what we rightfully stole!"

"Back to the limo!" Ian panted. "We'll search the whole city."

"No." I shook my head in resignation.

"They've got the painting!" Hamilton raved. "It's the only thing we can trade for our people!"

"We'll never find them," I said desolately. "If I thought there was the slightest chance we could find them, I would do it. But they're probably already in a basement somewhere, realizing that every policeman in Italy's looking for what they've got."

A terrible silence fell between us as the gravity of the situation sank in. We have failed Vesper One. What will happen now? Our enemy had promised again and again to kill a hostage.

_Who will it be?_ Alistair… Ted…

Natalie…

Ian rubbed his temples like he had a headache.

Phoenix…

Jonah winced as if in physical pain.

Reagan…

A tear pooled in the corner of Hamilton's eye.

Fiske… Nellie… Dan…

My family, all hostages. I felt nothing but utter powerlessness and black.

The Vesper phone chimed, and we all jumped. I trembled as I drew the device out of my pocket.

The small screen displayed two words:

Package received.

"That's impossible!" exclaimed Hamilton. "How could the package be received when we never made the drop off?"

"That was the drop off!" Ian said, understanding. "The Vespers didn't want to tell us where they would be, so they set us up to get swarmed!"

"Slick," Jonah commented.

"Very slick," I agreed, rubbing my now bruised hip. "Who are the Vespers?"


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: **I am super sorry about the long wait! My beta reader hasn't been able to read the chapter until now. Please forgive me! Thank you to all the reviewers. Your reviews make me smile. On a side note, my friend (not Firestorm N.) and I are having a bit of a disagreement. To decide we've agreed for me to put up a poll on it. Please vote. I'll try to update the next chapter sooner, but my beta reader is going on vacation, so we'll just have to see. Here's chapter 17. Enjoy, review, and no flames._

**Percy POV**

Jason told us the little he learned from Amy. She's doing it for her brother. She definitely has the "Medusa." And we now know one of her cousins. Her cousin is protective for some reason, probably trying to make sure that she doesn't get kidnapped.

We then tried to think of where a drop off would be for the exchange. Somewhere crowded or isolated? Crowded, we'd decided. When? Tomorrow, no doubt, they'd want to be quick as possible. We decided to look at crowded spots the next day.

Around noon we were walking around the Basilica of San Lorenzo.

"Hey, guys, look!" Nico pointed to a limo where Amy and three guys were getting out. Amy had a huge lawn bag in her arms- the "Medusa," most likely.

"The blonde hair guy is Hamilton," Jason identified.

"That one with the baseball cap looks kind of like Jonah Wizard," I said.

"The musician?" Thalia asked looking at the guy with a baseball cap and shades. "Yeah, I guess the guy looks like him."

"Let's get the "Medusa" now," I said. No sooner had I said it when a motorcycle gang attacked Amy and the three guys. They took the bag. Amy and the guys chased, but stopped at a corner.

"Well, looks like we're not getting it anytime soon," Nico muttered. The four of them talked for a little bit. Actually, it seemed more like an argument. They settled into what seemed like a heavy silence.

"Let's go see if they're all right," Hazel suggested. We headed over to where Amy and the three guys stood. Suddenly, they jumped. I thought they had heard us and were going to run when Amy pulled out a phone from her pocket. She showed the screen to the guys and they talked a little more before we reached them. I noticed Amy rubbed one of her hips.

_She must've bruised it when she fell onto the road._

"Amy, are you alright? We saw you hit the road," I said, figuring it was the best way to start a conversation. The four of them turned to face us.

"Oh, I'm fine," she said with a forced smile.

"How come you always show up wherever Amy is?" The blonde guy- Hamilton- snapped.

"Yeah, why are you bugging our cuz?" The guy with the baseball cap said. Now without the shades, I was sure he was Jonah Wizard.

"We don't mean to," Thalia said "We just end up where Amy is."

Amy jumped in before the guys could say anything. "Guys, it's okay. I know Percy from my English class. I trust his judgment. If he trusts them, then I will too."

"You're too trusting, Ames," Hamilton growled. "Just because you write a Greek and Roman report with someone doesn't mean you can trust them."

"Greece and Rome are pathetic anyway," stated the third dude. _Was he British?_ "Especially Rome."

"What do you mean?" Jason demanded with a hint of anger in his voice. Uh oh, that guy's in trouble now- Jason's getting mad. One thing everyone knows is that you don't insult our heritages.

"Well, look at it. Rome had a thriving empire, but was too weak to do anything with it other than completely fail and destroy it."

_Does that guy have a death wish?_

Amy looked at her watch. "Come on, guys, we need to go." She tugged on Jonah Wizard's arm. "Let's get back to the limo."

She led the guys past us. I thought I saw a spark shoot towards them, one guy in particular. Nothing happened, and for a moment I thought it was my imagination. That was until the British dude stopped and turned around. Only now he was holding a gun. _Where'd he get that?_

"How dare you!" he exclaimed. Amy and the other two spun around. Amy moved and stood next to the guy holding the gun.

"Ian, put the gun away! We're in the middle of public!" she hissed. The weird thing was that she didn't seem surprised at all that Ian- that's what she called him, right?- had a gun.

"They did it," Ian growled._ Jason, did you just do what I think you just did?_

"Did what?" Amy sighed.

"Electrocute me!" Ian said as if it'd be obvious. Answer to my question: _Yes._

All the demigods snapped their heads to Jason. He smiled and shrugged like _Whoops._ I turned back to the four confused humans.

"How would anyone do that?" Amy was asking Ian.

"I don't know!" Ian said as he pushed Amy aside. "But someone will pay!" _I think that's a bit of an over reaction, dude! _He lifted his gun up.

"Hamilton, do something!" Amy cried out. Hamilton came up behind Ian and in one swift strike, he rendered Ian unconscious. Ian collapsed on the ground. "That isn't what I meant!" Amy groaned.

Hamilton shrugged. "You didn't say how."

I thought for sure she was going to get mad, but instead she sighed. "Well, you knocked him out, you have to carry him."

Hamilton shrugged, picked Ian up, and slung him over one shoulder. He turned and left. Jonah wizard picked up the gun Ian had dropped and left.

"Bye and sorry about that," Amy said as she left, too.

"Amy, where is it?" Jason called after her.

She froze and looked back. "I'm sorry." She said before running off after the three guys.

Once Amy disappeared from sight, Thalia slapped Jason on the back of his head.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded.

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"Shock him!" she said.

"I don't know what you are talking about," he continued to act innocent, though his grin gave himself away. We all laughed.

"I'm hungry," Nico complained, rubbing his stomach.

"Let's get food and decide what to do then," Hazel suggested.

"Sounds good, let's go eat!" I said.


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews. I hope to get the next chapter up much sooner now that my beta is back from vacation. Welcome back, my beta! Thank you all for being so patient. Remember- please do not flame. Enjoy chapter 18._

**Amy POV**

Ian was on the plane back to Attleboro, after lots of yelling about electricity and knocking him out. So, Hamilton, Jonah, and I went out to eat.

We haven't ordered a single thing yet off La Rotunda's menu, but our table was piled high with all the specialties of the house.

"Thanks, yo. 'Preciate that," Jonah said graciously as a steaming platter of gnocchi was delivered personally by the chef.

"Signor Wizard!" the chef gushed, "Such an honor to welcome a renowned television personality and recording artist!"

"And movie star," Jonah added helpfully. "Did you catch _Gangsta Kronickles_ yet? You shouldn't wait for the DVD."

"Of course!" the man exclaimed. "We'll always remember this glorious day!"

"Me too," Jonah replied. "Great chow."

We were sitting tucked into a corner table to try to provide Jonah with a degree of privacy. He didn't get it anyway. People were constantly snapping pictures and peering at us. Paparazzi hovered outside the big front window.

Hamilton muttered, with his mouth full, "Free food! It's no wonder you're rich. You don't have to pay for anything."

"Since when is it free?" demanded Jonah. "If I don't leave a crazy big tip, it'll be all over Europe that the Wiz is a cheapskate! They'll probably seat me behind the sound man from the penguin movie at the Oscars!"

"Enough," I said impatiently. "Let's try to give a thought to what we're doing here."

Since the heist was complete and the drop-off made, there was nothing left to do, except wait for the news that our hostages have been released. No One could figure out what form this would take. Would we receive a text from Vesper One directing to a rendezvous point? Or would one or more of the eight hostages call and declare themselves free? Would they be together or scattered around the world?

All our phones were fully charged and on the table amidst the plates of antipasto and osso buco. Halfway around the world, Sinead, Ian, and McIntyre were in the Comm. Center, awaiting word. The Cahill satellite, _Gideon_, hung poised in orbit, ready to relay any and all information.

"What's taking so long?" Hamilton impatiently asked. "We gave them their ugly painting. All they have to do is open the door and let everybody out."

"They'll probably move them around," I tried to reason, my own worry growing. _Why is it taking so long? _"You know- to disorient them so they can't pinpoint where they were held, or the people who were holding them. That would take some time." _Yes, that must be it._

"Eat some thing," Jonah suggested, gesturing to my untouched plate of food.

"Yeah, the steak rocks!" Hamilton said, slurping pasta.

"It's veal," I informed him.

What looked like a food fight was created with a frenzy to grab at our cell phones when the chime sounded.

"What does it say?" prodded Hamilton. "Are they out?"

The three of us huddled around the small screen.

Consequences. n.: The punitive payback for an act of treachery or wrong doing.

The painting is a fake. These are the consequences:

Below the message, a short video began. It was a scene from the Vesper holding cell- Dan's shooting.

I watched in horror as my little brother went down in a heap. My little brother, shot.

"No-" I whispered. _What went wrong? Would this be different if I have the serum? Would the serum help? Why my brother? How could these people shoot Dan?_

"oh man," Jonah moaned, for once at a loss for something hip to say. "I'm really sorry, Amy. I'm totally down with how much he meant to you. I can't believe they would do that."

Hamilton, in silent agreement, nodded and looked away from the screen when his sister was bludgeoned with the crossbow.

_Focus_, I ordered myself. _Do not lose it._ But the tears were coming. And, I couldn't think of any reason why I should hold them back. I cried as soft as I could, taking every last ounce of my will power not to scream in grief and outrage.

"_I want to strangle him, too."_

It was Dan's voice that came into my head. He said that in Korea, trying to make me feel better. The effect was so real that I actually glanced up, almost certain that Dan would be standing there, grinning and ready for the next challenge. How often had Dan saved me, comforted me, and helped me?

This time he had needed me, and I failed him.

_Everything's fine,_ Nellie's voice now spoke. _You worry too much, kiddo._

_Nothing's fine,_ I wanted to say. _Nothing will ever be fine again._

"Why is it," I said faintly, more to myself than anyone else, "that sooner or later, everyone I love dies?" I shut my mouth quickly before the scream that still lingered could escape.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Hamilton barked, "Wait!"

Coming back to reality, I focused on the smart-phone's monitor. The hostages were gathered around Dan in a state of excitement.

"Are his eyelids moving?" I inched closer.

"Get up, ninja lord!" Jonah was on his feet, cheer leading. "Up! Up!"

"Come on!" added Hamilton.

I prayed with my fingers and toes crossed.

The three of us watched as Nellie and Fiske slowly raised Dan to a seated position. His face was paler than usual, and his features were contorted in agony. But he was clearly alive.

I let out a breath. I never realized I'd been holding it.

"Oh yeah!" shouted Jonah, twirling the much larger Hamilton around the restaurant in a victory dance.

I smiled slightly inwardly as I saw the other diners look on in amazement. This wild display wasn't really the public image of too-cool-for-school Jonah Wizard.

"What's the matter?" challenged Hamilton. "Haven't you ever seen a happy rapper before?"

"Movie star," Jonah amended as he and Hamilton sat back down.

On the Vesper phone, the video ended and was replaced by the words:

Still roaming in the land of the living… so far…

Hamilton bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means they shot him in the shoulder to send a message," I reasoned in a shocked monotone. "The next bullet could be through his heart."

"Well, message received," Jonah said.

"I honestly thought-" My voice caught in my throat.

Jonah reached over and touched my clenched hands. "We all did."

"Can I say something?" Hamilton ventured, much subdued. "How could that painting be a fake?"

"Must have been insanity in the gallery," Jonah reasoned. "Any chance the real deal got swapped with one of the copies?"

"No way," I said firmly. "Hamilton threw it straight to me, and I dropped it out the window. The 'Medusa' from the wall is the one we gave them."

"You think maybe Vesper One lied about it, just for an excuse to shoot a hostage," Hamilton suggested.

"He never needed an excuse," Jonah pointed out. "If all he wanted was blood, he could've murdered everybody on day number one."

"Then there's only one other explanation," I concluded. "if we handed over a fake, then it's because that's what was hanging on the Uffizi's wall."

"Yo, man, no fair!" Jonah complained. "They told us what to jack, and we went and jacked it! If it's the wrong thing, that's on them!"

I sighed. "Even if we could make Vesper One believe that, we've got no way to contact the guy."

Hamilton shot back, "That's his problem! We didn't ask for a one- way phone!"

"There is no such thing as his problem, only our problem," I explained. "He holds our people, and he's just shown that he doesn't mind to shoot any hostage. If the 'Medusa' is a fake, then we've got to track down the real one."

"Are you serious, Amy?" Jonah exploded. "That painting's hundreds of years old! It could be anywhere by now! The Janus wouldn't even know where it is! For all we know, it burned in a fire or sank to the bottom of the ocean!"

I set my jaw. "In the clue hunt, Dan and I found things on mountain tops and in underwater cities. Why would you doubt that I- with your help- could find this?"

Hamilton looked at me wide-eyed. "Yeah, but where would you even start to look?"

"This is a famous cultural treasure," I replied. "From the moment the paint on it dried, people were talking about it, writing about it, and cataloging it." I stood up. "We start looking in a library."


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: **Hey, Thank you for the reviews. I am currently having a bit of writer's block for this story, so please excuse my slow updates. I will try to get rid of it and update soon though. And To C.C, I will not stop with JasonxAmy. I'm sorry. Enjoy chapter 19. Please no flames, but do review._

**Percy POV**

We all sat in our hotel room, debating our next move.

"Maybe we can find Leonardo's 'Medusa' without Caravaggio's," Hazel said.

"Well, seeing as we don't even know how the Caravaggio one is supposed to help us, we'll probably have to," Thalia responded.

"Why don't we interrogate Amy about it?" Nico suggested. "She might know something about it."

"She doesn't seem very willing to give up information," Jason said doubtfully. "And we'd still have to get by her cousins."

"Follow her home?" Tyson spoke up.

"That'd be great," I told him. "If we knew where she was."

"Why don't we set up a meeting with her, and then if we don't get the information we want we can follow her," Nico said.

"But would she come alone or with her cousins?" wondered Thalia.

"Also, should we all go or just one of us?" Hazel questioned.

"Where would the meeting place be?" Jason asked.

"Great questions," I said. "Now if only we had answers."

That earned me a smack in the head curtosy of Nico.

"How about this," Nico said, "we call her and ask to meet her- her choice place- alone or with one cousin. And only three of us go, so the others could keep working."

"Which three?" Jason asked.

"Me!" Tyson exclaimed, waving a hand in the air. "I want to see Amy!"

"Okay, Tyson," I said, ducking his hand as it passed over my head. "You'll go."

He clapped. "Yeah!"

"I think since Percy and Jason are the ones Amy will probably know the best, they should go," Hazel said.

"Makes sense," Thalia agreed.

"Alright, so Percy, Jason, and Tyson will go interrogate and- if need be- follow Amy. Meanwhile, Thalia, Hazel, and I will research the 'Medusa,'" Nico checked.

"Mmhm, and if her cousins are there, do not attack or fight if possible," Thalia said with a pointed look at her younger brother. Jason smiled in return.

"So, who's going to call?" Hazel asked.

"Percy," Jason said.

"Jason," I said at the same time. We glared at each other. Both of us are nervous of freaking Amy out and making her think of us as stalkers, which is why Jason is going to do it.

"No, you do it," we said in unison.

Thalia leaned back, put her hands behind her head, and propped her feet up on the coffee table. "Well, this might take a little while."

**Amy POV**

I received a message from Sinead saying that it was urgent, so I called.

"Kabra here," Ian said, answering the phone.

"I got the message. What is the big news?" tiredly I asked. These past days I haven't been getting a lot of sleep. I've been busy thinking about Dan, the hostages, and… the serum. _No, Amy, don't think about the serum. It's too powerful, can't be trusted; it shouldn't be used. _And I knew that. The serum would do more harm than good.

"Amy, it's Sinead. Ian and I have been analyzing the footage of Dan's shooting," Sinead said. "We think we might've found something!"

"Can you put it through to my phone?" I requested.

"Already done. Watch." Sinead began the video feed. "You can't see the faces through the masks. But when I freeze it here-" She isolated the image of the man with the crossbow, zooming in on the guy's neck towards the back. Sinead brought it into focus, and the picture sharpened- there was a tag on the inside of the guard's jacket.

"A label?" I questioned.

"If it's a small regional outerwear manufacturer, then we might be able to narrow down where the hostages are being held."

"It's something to go on, I guess." I wasn't terribly convinced.

"Where are you all heading to now?" Ian asked.

"Jonah's with the mayor of Florence. He's getting the key to the city." I informed them. "Hamilton and I are heading to the library, trying to find out about the real 'Medusa.'"

I ended the call and sat at an ancient wooden table in the research section of the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze. The Vesper phone chimed.

Cahill,

Did you enjoy our little movie? We made it just for you. I trust that you didn't overdo it on the popcorn.

If we do not receive the real "Medusa" in 96 hours, you will be watching the sequel. It will be fun to make another one, except this one will not have a such a happy ending.

Vesper One

I sighed and turned to the piles of books surrounding me. An assortment of printed photocopied documents laid scattered around the books- police files on art thieves, and known buyers and sellers of stolen paintings.

_Somewhere in one of these piles must be an answer to lead me to the real "Medusa," _I thought.

There are thousands of pages to be examined, more than half weren't even in English, and all I could do was sit there and look back at the Vesper phone.

Ninety- six hours- that's only four days. Not much time when lives hang in the balance, and Vesper one has already proven that his terrible threats are one hundred percent legitimate.

_What if I can't do this?_

I choked up for an instant, thinking of Dan's face, contorted in agony.

McIntyre acted like me taking the lead in this crisis was the most natural thing in the world. Yet just learning kung fu and turning the attic into a comm. center did not magically transform you into a leader. How can I be expected to carry the weight of seven lives and possibly more when I can barely keep my brother alive? I have a feeling the Vespers kidnappings were just a tool for them. They have bigger plans, probably more awful that we could have imagined.

But what are the plans of?

_It's like a chess game where the board or any of the pieces might turn out to be a bomb._

My eyes traveled to my own phone. For some reason I really wanted Jason to call. Just to talk to him, maybe if I told him everything he could help.

_No, Amy, this is Cahill business._

But he still continued to plague my mind. His kind eyes, handsome face, sweet words, the gentle kiss, and the care he shows to me when he barely knows me- it just isn't fair. Cahill and non- Cahill relationships are hard. Wait, relationships? Where did that come from?

I got angry at myself. I need to stop thinking like this. I need to focus.

_He and the others could help with research,_ I reasoned, calming down a bit. That's all I wanted Jason to call for, to help with research.

I could certainly use another pair of eyes to help me go through all of this material. Right now it was just Hamilton helping me. Hamilton is loyal, and a tireless worker. But around a library, well, he's about as helpful as a silk glove to a snake.

Hamilton teetered into the room, a tower of ancient tomes in his arms. "Here's the stuff you asked for from the rare books department." He heavily set the load down on a free space on the table, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

"You look like a dust angel," I said amused, watching the whitish puff swirl around him like a halo.

Hamilton sneezed and laughed. "Yeah, kind of like those Mud Angel guys-" He must've noted the blank expression on my face because he explained, "You know- from that book on the Uffizi. They had this huge flood, and all these paintings got soaked. So the Mud Angels fixed them up."

I pounced on the thick volume he pointed to and speed-read my way through the 1966 flood. Hamilton was right! With the millions of art works and rare books in danger from the worst flooding since the sixteenth century, Angeli del Fango- Mud Angels- moved the entire collection to dry havens in a series of churches and public buildings all around Florence. Many of the art works were saved, thanks to their heroic efforts.

"Hamilton, you are a genius!" I exclaimed.

"Told you," Hamilton said, looking vaguely pleased.

"The flood of 1966 was the only time the 'Medusa' was out of the gallery," I reasoned. "Even if it never got wet, it would still have been removed with all of the rest! Then, while it sat in a church, someone swapped it with a forgery!"

He nodded, impressed. "That was almost fifty years ago. How do we find where it is now?"

"Well, at least we have got a place to start with- the Mud Angels."

"Yeah, but all we know is what they have done," Hamilton reasoned. "We don't know their names or addresses or anything like that."

I smiled and took out my phone. "These guys put together the biggest mass rescue in the history of art. I'll bet the Janus would know exactly who they are. Let's call Jonah."


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: **I am so sorry for the long wait, but as I've mentioned before I had writer's block and I've been very busy. I hope to get the next chapter up much sooner, now that my writer's block is disappearing. Thank you for the reviews! I am glad you like my AmyxJason pairing. I have a very special scene in mind for Jason to give Amy the necklace, but unfortunately it's not in this chapter. Please enjoy and don't flame!_

**Jason POV**

The necklace and ring in my pocket suddenly felt very heavy as I dialed Amy's phone number. Percy won our argument with the feeble "She gave you her number , not me" excuse. Well, that and I was too tired to continue arguing.

_Ring! Ring!_

"Hello?" Amy's voice answered.

"Hey, Amy, it's Jason," I replied. I heard a muffled conversation on her end.

"Are they going to let us get the faxes?" Amy asked.

"What?" _Faxes? What is she talking about?_

"Oh, sorry, not you, Jason. I was talking to my cousins."

"Okay, anyway, I need to ask you something."

"Sure, just hold on a second." Amy said, then to- I assume- her cousins, "While you guys figure this out, I'm going to go catch a taxi back to the hotel and wait."

There was another muffled conversation, then a soft_ clunk _like a door shutting.

"Amy, are you still there?" I asked.

"Yes, just one more second please." There were a few more muffled sounds. "Alright, what did you want to ask me?"

"Well, I…" _What was I nervous for? I've never gotten such a strong flutter in my stomach before._ Taking a deep breath, I pressed on. "I wanted to know if you would meet Percy, Tyson, and me sometime soon."

"W-where and when?" Amy stuttered. _That stutter is adorable._ I shook my head. I need to focus.

"Your choice for both," I answered. "You can bring you cousins if you would like."

"How about tomorrow at noon?"

"Sounds good, and where?"

"Um, how about at the Basilica of San Lorenzo? Where we met before?"

"Perfect. We will be there." I replied.

"Okay, I have to go now. Bye!" She hung up.

I sighed and hung up also.

_What is wrong with me?_ I wondered. _Why does Amy make me stumble on my words or think about her a lot?_

_It's Venus,_ I decided. It's the deal we made that is making me so off, but… why?

I stood up, and walked out of the bedroom and into the living room where the others sat researching. No time to think about what's wrong in my head.

"How did it go?" Percy asked me as I plopped down next to him on the couch.

"Tomorrow, noon, and at the Basilica of San Lorenzo where we met before," I told them.

"Her cousins?" Hazel asked.

I shrugged. "I offered for them to come, but she didn't respond."

"Okay, at least everything's settled now." Thalia said.

My hand reached into my pocket where it touched the cool metal.

_Not everything._

**Amy POV**

127 pages of Janus documents on the Mud Angels.

68 pages of police records on art thieves and known buyers and sellers of stolen art.

3 Cahill cousins.

1 large table.

"Okay," I said. "We read these files, and no one gets up from this table until we figure out who took the 'Medusa,' who has it now, and where we have to go to get it back."

"My eyes are swollen shut," Hamilton complained. "I can't read."

"Sometimes you must take one for the team, yo." Jonah told him.

"I took one for you, not for the team," said Hamilton through his clenched teeth. "And if my old man finds out that a Holt was kicked around by a bunch of ten- year- old girls, I'll have to find another family!"

"Cut it out," I snapped at them. "Bad stuff happens to all of us because of the family we were born into. Let's just do this. Think of Reagan or Phoenix. Or Dan."

We dove into the pile, and silence fell in our hotel suite. The world became a data blizzard of names, addresses, dates of birth, career highlights, and prison records. Every random fact or mundane foot note needed to be given full concentration. There was no way to know which casual detail would lead us to the "Medusa." Would it come soon or take hours? Days or not at all?

After the first hour, we all had splitting headaches. By the third we had to get up from the table to use the bathroom. Throughout the hours my conversation with Jason lurked in my mind.

I told Jonah and Hamilton about it, and we agreed that I would go alone while Hamilton and Jonah drove around the block to pick me up when the meeting was finished or to jump in if I needed help.

"Hey, I think that guy's in here twice." Hamilton said, looking at the profile Jonah just tossed onto the growing discard pile.

That got my attention. "There's another file with his name?"

Hamilton shook his head. "Not the name; the face."

"These pictures are faxed," Jonah noted. "You can't see very much."

"I think if Hamilton believes he's seen that guy before, we should check it out to make sure." I picked up the discards. "Let's find him."

About halfway through the stack, the second file emerged, and despite the blotchy fax quality, I had to admit the faces did match.

The first file was an entry on a watch list form the Arma dei Carabinieri- the Italian national police force. It contained information on a man suspected of buying stolen works of art named Alberto Sudem. Sudem dropped out of sight in the 1980s and was presumed dead, according to the notes. The other file was one of the Janus secret files on the Mud Angels. Gregor Tobin, born 1937, is a fabulously wealthy art collector currently living in a large palazzo on the shores of Lake Como.

"It has to be him!" I said excited. "He was a Mud Angel, so he had access to the 'Medusa.' And the Italian police have him on an art thief watch list."

"It also says that they think he is dead," Hamilton pointed out.

"Who are you going to believe, yo? The Janus or a bunch of cops?" Jonah challenged. "It's the same face, the same guy. It's Gregor Tobin! Alberto Sudem must be an alias or something."

"Wait a minute," I said as the name began to click in my head. I flipped over a file and began to write on the back.

ALBERTO SUDEM

A. SUDEM

I looked up at my two cousins. "That's 'Medusa' spelled backwards." I stopped thinking. "He must've created his alias based on his favorite stolen piece- or maybe his first. Where is Lake Como?"

"Up by Milan," Jonah answered. "Back in the day, I did an outdoor concert there once. Off the chain views there- water, mountains, real tourist brochure stuff."

Hamilton spoke up. "Aren't you forgetting something? We can't just knock on this guy's door and accuse him of boosting the 'Medusa.' Even if he admits to doing it, he won't just hand it over to us."

I set my jaw. "If we stole from one of Europe's most secure museums, then we can steal from Gregor Tobin. We just need a way inside."

"Not another window-washing job!" Hamilton groaned.

"This time we're going to be invited," I promised.


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: **Hey! Thanks for the reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I warn you now that it has a cliff hanger ending and is a little shorter than usual. Beware. Remember I have a poll up on my profile and would appreciate your input on it. Thank you to those who have already voted. I will be closing the poll when I update the next chapter, so get the votes in now. Please read, review, and most of all enjoy! No flames._

**Amy POV**

"Take it from all angles," I said, watching images download from the comm. center in Attleboro. One by one, hi-res pictures of the gold Sakhet statue appeared on the laptop screen. Dan and I had acquired the ancient sculpture two years before, during the Clue Hunt when we were in Egypt. I was on the phone with Ian, who was acting as official photographer, at our Lake Como hotel suite. "We want to give Tobin a three- hundred- and- sixty- degree view of it."

"Check," came Ian's voice. "What if he is not interested?"

"He will be interested. The Janus file says he's gaga over Egyptian art."

Ian sighed. "I once had the means to be gaga over art. Of course that was before I found myself in a country where the beauty standard is toaster waffles shaped like cartoon characters."

A sign flashed onto the laptop screen. All twelve photographs have been received.

"Thanks, Ian. We'll be in touch soon." I broke the connection and brought up a blank e-mail. After I attached the pictures, I put in Tobin's e-mail address. "Now, what should I write?"

I began to type on the keypad:

Mr. Tobin,

I have acquired the ancient Egyptian statue that you see in these pictures. It seems to me to be an exceptionally well- preserved example of New Kingdom sculptures dated approximately around 1400 B.C.E. I heard about your great knowledge in this type of art, and I would be most grateful for your expert opinion. I will be in Lake Como for only one more day.

Amy Cahill

Yawning, I hit send. Now all there was left to do was wait for a reply. If luck was on our side, it would be soon, maybe in the morning.

I got up and started to get ready to go to the meeting with Percy, Tyson, and Jason tomorrow before heading to bed.

**Percy POV**

Jason, Tyson, and I were walking to the meeting point. I saw Amy standing there, alone. My eyes swept the surroundings. I didn't want us to end up getting ambushed even though I doubted Amy would do something like that. Her cousins were no where to be seen.

"Amy!" Tyson called, running ahead of us and up to her.

Amy jumped at the sudden outburst, right before Tyson hugged- well, more like crushed- her. I think he forgets how strong he is sometimes.

"Hi, Tyson!" Amy greeted him, once he put her down.

"Hey," I said, finally reaching her with Jason at my side.

"How are you?" Jason asked.

"Good, I guess. What did you want to meet me for?" she responded. _She's not wasting time today. What's her rush?_

"Why don't we sit down and then talk?" I gestured to an open stone park table with two benches for seats. Amy nodded, and we all sat down.

"What's going on, Amy?" Jason asked. "Where's the 'Medusa?' Why did you take it? Are you in some sort of trouble?"

_Why is everybody in such a rush?_

Amy didn't answer. She was staring down at her hands in her lap. From what I could see, her eyes showed indecision.

When she finally spoke, it was slow and measured. "Why should I answer those questions? Why don't you answer some of mine? For example, what do you want with the 'Medusa?' How do you keep finding me?"

"Our dads want the 'Medusa,' we don't know why. As for finding you, just lucky, I guess." I told her, trying to be as honest as I could without giving anything demigod related away.

Jason grasped her hands, making Amy look up at him. "Why don't you explain what's going on with you, then we will explain what's going on with us."

"Why?" she asked again, slipping her hands out of his. "Why should I trust you?"

Hmm, that's a good point. I wish I had an answer.

"No hurting, Amy," Tyson said. And there is the answer.

"Tyson's right," I said. "We would never intentionally hurt you."

Amy considered this. We almost had her convinced, I could see it in her eyes.

"We haven't given you any reason not to trust us," I added.

She sighed. "I can't explain everything to you all, but I can explain a little." Amy reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "Do you mind if I get my cousins' opinions first? It deals with them too. They need to have a say in whether or not and what I tell you. They may want to be here in person to talk about it."

"Of course," Jason said.

"Are they nearby?" I asked.

"Um, maybe, I know they are somewhere around here in a car ready to pick me up. We have to go some place really soon." She said, dialing. _Oh, that is her rush._ I wonder where she is going that's so important.

_Now we are getting somewhere, _I thought. _Maybe we can get some answers and even some help. That is if Cahills can help us, especially when we don't even know what we are doing._

"Well, well, well, isn't this-s a nice s-surprise," a voice hissed. "Sons-s of Zeus-s and Poseidon. I hope you are hungry because it is-s time for lunch, Pipsqueak, darling."

"Quite so," Another voice cackled. "Go and feast, my dear."


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: **Woo-hoo! Battle scene! This includes a special paragraph from Jason's POV written by Firerstorm N. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. The poll I had up is officially closed. Thank you to those who voted. Thank you to the reviewers also! Please enjoy, and I will try to get the next chapter up sooner or at least I hope to. No flames._

**Percy POV**

Monsters. Of course, they're in America, why not Italy? I wonder if Italian monsters are worse than American ones. I cursed in Greek under my breath as I turned around to face the voices and whoever this hungry Pipsqueak is.

Two dracnae, armor on and spears in hands, stood cackling at us. They must have been the ones who spoke, which leaves Pipsqueak to be… the hydra. The very big, fire breathing, dangerous, and apparently hungry hydra.

"W-what is that-t?" Amy stuttered weakly.

"Dracnae and a hydra," I replied, taking out Riptide. I looked to Jason and Tyson. "Ready?"

Tyson nodded, holding a large club. _Where did he get that?_

Jason flipped his coin, grabbed the sword out of the air, and nodded. He looked to Amy. "Stay back, and let us handle this." She gave a slight nod and backed up a little.

I looked over to the advancing monsters. "I'll take the dracnae, you two take Pipsqueak."

"Sure, give us the hungry hydra." Jason said. I grinned.

"No problem. It probably wouldn't like seafood anyway."

"Gee, thanks so much, Percy. I appreciate you support."

"Any time, Jason. Charge and divide?"

"Sounds good. See you on the battle field."

We split up and charged, dividing the monsters. Deciding to go on the offence, I dodged one of the dracnae's continuous swipes, got in close, grabbed her armor, and threw her over my shoulder and into the other one. She was a tiny bit heavier than I had calculated, so instead of hitting the other in the head where I had planned, she hit lower, more towards the other's stomach where the spear point was being held. With a cry, she evaporated into monster dust. Oh, well, one less to deal with, a happy accident. I am not going to complain.

I risked a glance around me. Amy still stood by the picnic table, following Jason's orders, talking into her phone and watching fearfully as the battle raged on..

Jason and Tyson were faring pretty well against Pipsqueak. Jason charged up his sword with electricity and stabbed the giant beast before jumping back to avoid getting eaten or lit on fire. Tyson, on the other hand, had a grip on one of the hydra's many heads and repeatedly whacked it with his club while yelling, "Bad, Pipsqueak, bad!"

"My sis-ster! You killed my s-sister!" The last dracnae hissed furiously. "You will pay."

"Actually, it was your spear that killed her, so wouldn't it be more your fault?" I replied. Bad move, it only angered the dracnae more.

She lunged and grazed my arm with her spear. I hit the button on my watch to get my shield out just before her second strike came in. When it did, it got a nasty surprise and hit my shield. I did a little improvising on the sword disarming maneuver that Luke first taught me, adjusting it for a spear and shield. Her spear snapped in millions of pieces out of her grip with a loud _Crack!_ The splinters hit a little bit of my leg or bounced off my raised shield and into her. Some of them hit her armor while others found their way past it into her body.

She stumbled back, but didn't evaporate. The dracnae snatched up the largest broken shard of the spear tip and flung it in one last desperate attempt to injure me badly. I dodged it with ease and swiped my sword through her, watching as the dracnae turned into dust like her sister.

I turned to the other fight that was still going on and found out it was not going too well for my friends. Tyson had a few minor injures and scrapes. He seemed to be trying to light a stick on fire or something like that.

Jason was playing as the distraction, doing his Roman stuff on the hydra, weaving himself quickly through the necks, heads, and flames, tangling them up. He was scraped up a bit and burned slightly, but still kept up a strong, rhythmic, and fast pace. Jason looked to be doing alright on his own, so I started to go and help Tyson. But just then, one of the hydra's heads caught Jason in the back of one shoulder, with one of its pointed teeth going straight through. Jason let out an injured yell and reached back to stab it, only to be sent soaring into the side of a brick building.

I heard a scream from behind me, and I caught a glimpse out the corner of my eye of Amy heading towards him with two others. Her cousins are here, maybe? _Good,_ I thought as I ran towards the giant fire breathing beast. She can help him while I take care of the hydra before it eats us all. And with that cheery thought in mind, I raised my weapon and charged along side my brother.

_**Jason POV by Firestorm Nauralagos**_

_** Suddenly, something slammed into me from the back with immense force. Fight was useless. My right shoulder was the first thing to hit the wall, followed by my head. Jolts of excruciating pain ripped through my entire body. Black spots appeared, clouding my vision. There was a scream… or maybe I was hearing things. The world around me went blurry, and dark spots pulsated in front of me. Was it light? No, it was dark… light again… dark again… everything faded to a fuzzy gray color, and I gave in, closed my eyes, and waited for it to end.**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait. I'm super busy right now. Thank you for the reviews. Please enjoy and no flames._

**Amy POV**

"Pass me some milk," Hamilton said, his mouth filled with peanut butter.

Jonah opened the small refrigerator at his side, pulled out a bottle of milk, and tossed it to Hamilton.

"It's aspired!" Hamilton said, looking at the best used by date. His words were garbled by peanut butter.

"It's aspired? The milk is giving you hope?" Jonah asked.

"Expired," Hamilton corrected.

"I don't get it. Why does milk aspire you?"

"It doesn't. I said 'expired.'"

"What? Is your favorite animal a cow or something?" Jonah said bewildered.

"No, what does that have to do with our conversation?" Hamilton asked annoyed.

"I don't know. Cows give us milk…"

"Whatever. I said that it's expired."

"I know milk gives us calcium and stuff, but why does it aspire you so much?"

"Expired! I said 'expired.'"

"No you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

"No. You. Did. Not."

I rubbed my temples. This conversation was going no where and getting annoying fast. "Hamilton said 'expired_,_' not aspired." I told Jonah, cutting off Hamilton's protest.

"Fine," Jonah said. "I'll get some more milk. Why didn't you just ask for more?"

Hamilton face-palmed himself. I shook my head, sighing as I turned back to my book.

My thoughts strayed as I stared at the page.

Jason, Percy, and Tyson could really fight. There were monsters. Jason was seriously injured. I shuddered internally as I thought of how bad he looked. Percy said that he'd take care of Jason, but I didn't see how.

Jason was completely unconscious, has a small gash in his head, and there was a huge spike going straight through one of his shoulders. Looking back now, I wonder how he was even still breathing.

I tried to convince Percy to take Jason to a hospital, but all Percy did was shake his head and tell me it wouldn't work. Why? He refused to say. It took a lot of convincing from Jonah and Hamilton before I'd left Jason and the others, with reassurances from Percy that he'd take care of Jason and let me know when he got better.

My mind was still uneasy though. How could anyone survive that without medical treatment? I don't know, but Percy seemed confident he could take care of it.

_Time to focus on the task at hand, _I decided. _It's time to find the "Medusa."_

**Jason POV**

There was a painful throbbing in my head. My right shoulder felt paralyzed.

I opened my eyes. My first thought was that I was looking at the blazing Sun because of the intense brightness. But as my eyes adjusted, the light dimmed.

I was lying on a soft bed of grass under a canopy of trees.

"Good. You're awake," Percy said, coming into my view. He looked relieved.

"What happened?" I groaned, starting to sit up. A jolt of pain spread through my body. Wincing, I dropped back down gently.

"Don't move," Percy ordered me before explaining, "One of the hydra heads got a tooth through your shoulder and flung you into a wall."

I reached up with my left hand and sensitively touched the bandages covering my right shoulder.

"Shouldn't ambrosia or nectar fix it?" I asked.

He sighed. "I tried that. It healed all your other wounds, but for some odd reason, it didn't work completely on your shoulder."

"What do you mean 'it didn't work completely'?"

"Well, the hole shrunk, but not completely gone, just smaller, and it's this sickly pale color. It's like the hydra tooth had some sort of poison that got into you, and…" he trailed off, glancing at the bandage.

"And now my shoulder's paralyzed." I finished.

"Yeah, something like that. I've been trying to contact Apollo, but apparently he is super busy and isn't taking any Iris messages right now."

"What happened to Amy and Tyson?" I asked, noticing for the first time they weren't here.

"Amy and her cousins left. I have Tyson following them. He's going to IM us when they reach their destination." Percy replied. He hesitated a moment before adding, "Amy was really worried about you. She didn't want to leave."

For some reason, I felt bad yet happy about that comment. I felt bad that she was worried, but happy that she cared about me. Ugh, this was so confusing. Next time I see the love goddess I need to remember to yell at her for messing up my emotions.

I laid there thinking of a reply. But then I was saved from having to reply because an image of Tyson appeared in front of Percy and me.

"Jason okay?" Tyson asked.

I managed a small smile. "Okay and still in one piece."

"Tyson, what's going on at your end?" Percy asked his brother.

"Amy and her cousins are here," Tyson said proudly. "I followed them." Sometimes I forget that in Cyclops' years he's only a young child.

"Yes, good job, but where?" Percy replied.

"Lake Como. They are at a big mansion next to the lake."

Percy smiled at me. "Time to go then, of course that is if you can move."

"Help me and I can." I said.

Percy turned back to Tyson. "Great job, big guy, we'll be right over as soon as possible. Hold on and don't loose them."

"Bye-bye!" Tyson said waving as Percy swiped his hand through the image. The image dispersed into mist.

"Let's go." Percy said, reaching over to help me up


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N: **I am super sorry for the long wait. I hope it will never happen again. Thank you for the reviews. In answer to a review: Amy was in shock about what happened. Her main concern though was making sure Jason would be okay. Amy doesn't know about this demigod stuff yet. In answer to another review: More dramatic how? I made this chapter longer, please enjoy- remember no flames._

**Amy POV**

I was looking around at the beautiful scenery, but mostly at a modern chrome- and- glass villa by the lake that I would soon be going to- Tobin's place.

I followed the rail along the lakeshore. I came upon a retaining wall with a small alcove. In it sat a carved figure dressed in Roman clothes. Below it a bronze plaque read: GAIUS PLINIUS CAEILIUS SECUNDUS.

"That must be Pliny the Younger, a famous Roman writer," I thought out loud. Bending down slightly, I read the English portion of the information tablet. "Yep, in 79 A.D., he chronicled Pompeii's destruction by eruption of Mount Vesuvius, one of the earliest eyewitness accounts of a major disaster."

I pulled out Grace's notebook McIntyre gave to me, slightly charred from the fire two years ago. I riffled through the brittle pages carefully to an entry that I saw previously looking through it before.

VSP 79 PUNY DESCRIBED FIRST TEST

"Puny," I mused, and then I realized something. "That's not 'puny'! It's a 'L' and 'I' smudged together. It's 'PLINY'!"

_Vesuvius erupted in 79, and VSP must mean it has something to do with the Vespers, _I reasoned. _But the Vespers weren't around yet. What connection did Grace find?_

"Yo, Amy, it's time to go," Jonah called. Sighing quietly, I turned away from the plaque and slipped the charred notebook into my pocket.

Gregor Tobin looked like a perfect representation of Dracula. Everything from gaunt features to shiny black- dyed hair was there except for the fangs.

"Welcome, my dear." His voice went great with his Dracula look; it was deep and dead flat. "I've had my chef prepare a light luncheon for us. Please come join me."

"Thank you," I answered, following him into a breakfast room that was sun- drenched and had a small table set for two.

"May I ask what brought you to my door out of all the other art experts in Italy?" Tobin inquired.

"I wanted to meet you," I said shyly. "I heard that back in the sixties you were a Mud Angel."

"Why, yes, I didn't know that anyone remembered the Mud Angels." Tobin seemed pleased that I knew. "A terrible time, there were so many masterpieces lost."

_I'll bet,_ I thought cynically. _Some were lost to water damage from the flood, and at least one got stuck to your greasy fingers._

"You all were heroes!" I exclaimed, pushing my thoughts away to focus on making my plan work.

"All citizens in Florence were heroic." Tobin told me distractedly. His eyes were trained on my back pack that leaned against my chair. "Please excuse my boldness, but I must confess I wish greatly to see the artifact that you have brought me. I am puzzled that I have never heard of this object before. How did you come into possession of it?"

"You want to know if it's stolen," I said. "Would that make it more or less attractive to you?"

"What an interesting young lady you are." He said, looking at me sharply. "However, you still have not answered my question. Where did you get it?"

"It isn't stolen," I told him. "I inherited it from Grace Cahill, my grandmother."

Tobin's thick eyebrow leaped. "Grace Cahill! Her name is well known in the art world!" His eyes narrowed at me. "As her heir, you must know the value of all the pieces in her collection. What is the real purpose of your visit here?"

I launched into the explanation Jonah, Hamilton, and I cooked up together. "According to the will, I am not allowed to touch one penny of the estate until both my younger brother and I are twenty-five."

"So the piece is stolen," Tobin said, smiling at me.

I bristled. "I believe I told you it was not."

"Ah, but it is. You have stolen it from your future self. Tea?"

I held out my cup for a refill. "Mr. Tobin, my grandmother's lawyer keeps my brother and I penniless when we are worth millions. I don't want to sell off our inheritance, but I have no other choice."

"Very well," Tobin replied. "Show me the statue, and we shall see if we can do business."

I reached for the zipper on my bag. "Maybe I shouldn't sell."

"Does your brother know you are doing this?" Tobin inquired.

I shook my head. "I think he'll understand, but if McIntyre sees it is missing, he might have me arrested." I looked at him pleadingly. "Could I take some time to think about it?"

"Of course. Perhaps you would like to tour my gallery and see the fine company your piece will be keeping."

I re-shouldered my pack and followed Tobin up a broad cantilever staircase to the villa's top floor, a vast room with a magnificent floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked Lake Como.

"Wow," I breathed. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you, my dear," Tobin smiled. "Traditional architecture does have its grandeur, but sometimes there is nothing like a modern design that admits light. It makes art come alive, doesn't it?"

I nodded. Tobin's collection may not have been as large as the Uffizi's, but it was every bit as impressive, maybe even more. There were works from all time periods and all corners of the world. He had prehistoric drawings cut from caves and Jackson Pollok canvases that covered entire walls. Medieval tapestries, Grecian urns, Roman busts on pedestals, African and Eskimo indigenous art, and even Mesopotamian cuneiforms were all around the room. There were even some historical artifacts- a genuine Roman chariot, all gilt carving and completely intact, and a coat of arms that might have- probably had- hung in the court of King Richard the Lion Heart.

What was not anywhere to be seen was Caravaggio's "Medusa."

_There must be a secret room,_ I thought, _a covert gallery for the stolen stuff._

When Tobin went over to speak to a burly security man stationed by a Giotto altar piece, I did a quick 360.

I located two thermostats in the room. The first was a unit by the door. It would set the temperature in the gallery. So what was the purpose of the other one, the one on the east wall by the large Renoir? It must control the temperature somewhere else.

Right beside the second thermostat hung a large Renoir. The image was a luminous café scene on a canvas at least six feet high and three feet wide. The frame was ornate and massive. And then it suddenly clicked in my head.

"A door," I whispered. "The secret gallery is behind that painting."

"And what has you so absorbed and excited?" Gregor Tobin asked, returning next to me.

"I have made my decision." I told him. "I'm going to sell you the statue." Taking off my backpack, I reached inside.

The collector's anticipation turned to bewilderment when I pulled out what looked like a lollipop. "Is this some joke?"

I broke the stick off of the smoke bomb and threw both pieces onto the floor. The fog that appeared was dense and instantaneous.

Tobin cried out in shock, and I dropped down to the cool marble. Removing the breathing filter from my pocket, I covered my nose with it. Tobin took one whiff of the knock out gas and collapsed, narrowly missing me. A thump sounding from across the room indicated that the security guard was also unconscious.

_Stay low, _I reminded myself. _I don't know how much I can trust this mask._

I crawled over to the large Renoir painting and began to haul on its heavy frame. It refused to budge. Fear shot through me. What if I was wrong?

Desperately, I reached behind the picture for a better grip on the frame. My fingers brushed against a small hard lump.

_A button?_ I wondered, pressing it. The Renoir swung away from the wall after there was an electronic click. Inside was a dimly lit second art gallery.

Although it was smaller than the main collection, the pieces seemed to be of equal quality. I had a fleeting wish that I brought Jonah with me- a Janus would have a better sense than me of what I was looking at.

Something familiar caught my eye. It was a picture of a grand piano with three people seated around it. "The Concert" by Vermeer! I remembered that it was taken in a robbery from the Gardner Museum in Boston in the year 1990. People consider it the most valuable stolen painting in the world!

_Stop sightseeing, _I scolded myself. _Just find the "Medusa."_

I found it recessed in an alcove with a lone spotlight on the horror-stricken features.

"There it is." I spoke to myself as I passed through the mummies smuggled out of Egypt, Grecian marbles illegally removed from the pediment of the Parthenon, and some stolen paintings by Monet, Gainsborough, and Van Eyck. "Why did I expect this one to be better looking?"

I snatched the shield off the wall. Although the rounded edges pressed the vinyl material to the limit, I managed to cram the "Medusa" into my large knapsack.

In the main gallery, somebody groaned as I shrugged into the backpack's straps.

_The elevator to the boat dock must be downstairs. _I decided, obviously it wasn't up here.

Holding the filter to my face again, I slipped through the Renoir door and into the main gallery. The smoke was starting to dissipate. Tobin was beginning to stir, but the guard was still out.

The collector blinked his dizziness away enough to see me emerging from his secret gallery.

"Thief!" he accused.

"Call the cops!" I tossed over my shoulder as I headed for the stairs. "They would have a field day in this place!"

I set my foot down on the top cantilever step before I froze. Vibrations were coming from below on the steps, running feet. More than one set definitely. Looking down, I caught a glimpse of two security guards rushing up the stairs to investigate their employer's cry. I wasted no time, whipping around and heading back toward the main gallery.

I ran the full length of the gallery, just hoping against hope that an alternate staircase would magically appear in front of me. At last, I stopped in front of the picture window. I looked down where, at the base of the cliff far below, a speed boat bobbed in the gleaming blue water. Jonah and Hamilton were waiting in the getaway craft. Between my cousins and me lay eighty vertical feet of steep, craggy terrain. I knew of only one way to bring us together.

I began to kick at the glass. The window rattled but didn't break or even scratch.

The security men reached the top of the stairs.

"Stop her!" Tobin roared at them.

I made a run towards the window in an attempt to breech it, only to bounce painfully off.

"I need something heavier," I gasped.

My heart sinking, I surveyed my surroundings. This was an art gallery, not a window shattering object gallery! There were no bricks to use.

And then my eyes fell on the Roman chariot.

I rushed up to the chariot, removing the chocks from the wheels before getting behind it and bracing myself to push.

I was going to find out if two- thousand- year- old wheels would move.

Tobin had stopped yelling and started running toward me now, his two security men followed right behind him.

I heaved with all my might. With a loud groan, the ancient wheels began to turn.

_Faster, _I urged myself, feeling the pounding of footsteps approaching on the marble floor.

The chariot was extremely heavy and gained speed agonizingly slowly. But once it began to freewheel, there was absolutely no stopping it.

_Crash!_

The picture window disintegrated into a million glittering glass shards that fell in such a way, it looked like a sun shower. The chariot continued to rumble out onto the slope, toppled on its side, and got hung up against one of the outcropping rocks.

I let go of the breath I was holding. Another few inches, and the chariot would've plunged over the edge and taken out Jonah, Hamilton, and the boat.

Jumping past the window sill, I began to work my way down the rough terrain of the cliff. Using rocks and bushes for hand holds, I relied on anything that looked like it could support my weight.

A leg swung over the lip of the bluff. A security guard, the second one came quickly after.

I peered over my should3er and immediately regretted that decision. Lake Como was still sixty far feet below. If I slipped from here, I would be a grease spot on the getaway boat deck, annihilating the "Medusa" that was in my backpack, and destroying mine and eight other lives.

With an alarming suddenness, the scrub pine trunk under my right foot gave way, and sent me sliding. I picked up speed, clawing at the rocks and weeds as they moved past. My scream sounded as if it was coming from someone else.

An exposed root trapped my ankle and jolted me away from the cliff. I flipped upside down, and in the process my ankle twisted loose.

"Don't worry, Ames." I heard Hamilton call. "I'll catch you."

For some reason, I believed him. However, I was still panic- stricken, so I braced for impact.


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N: **Sorry about the long wait. I'm busy and my beta's even busier. I'll try to update faster. Thank you for the reviews and patience. Remember no flaming. Please enjoy chapter 25!_

**Percy POV**

Jason, Tyson, and I sat on top of a cliff across the lake from a large villa that Tyson had seen Amy enter.

"What is she doing in there?" Jason asked, voicing everyone's thought.

"Who knows?" I shrugged. "Maybe whoever lives there is a family friend of hers."

Jason looked like he was about to reply when Tyson interrupted, pointing at the edge of the lake by the villa. "Look."

Peering down at the spot he pointed to, I could see two of Amy's cousins in a boat.

"They're probably waiting for Amy," I muttered.

"Yeah, but why? Wouldn't it be better to use a car? I mean, they are on a lake." Jason said beside me. I noticed as he shifted that pain flashed across his face and he reached up to touch his wounded shoulder.

_If only Apollo would answer, _I thought._ Then Jason could get some help._

A large crash brought me out of my thoughts. We all tensed, searching for the source of the sound while reaching for our weapons.

I had a fleeting thought, wondering how Jason would fight with an injured sword arm.

But that thought was gone as soon as I saw the Roman chariot tipped on its side and resting against an outcropping rock of the cliff opposite us. Glass shards were flying everywhere.

I looked down to the two guys in the boat. Amy's cousins looked alright, their gazes focused upward at something.

"Is that Amy?" Jason asked with disbelief evident in his voice.

I followed his gaze and, sure enough, saw a familiar fiery-red haired girl scaling down the cliff. The bag she carried was stretched in such a way that it made me wonder if she boosted a manhole cover.

"What is she doing?" Jason spoke again, this time with more worry than disbelief.

Amy suddenly started sliding down at an alarming rate before lurching into a stop. Her ankle got caught and threw her away from the cliff, down towards her cousins.

"Falling," I answered Jason. "Now may be a good time to do that whole superman wind thing!" He looked at me oddly. I shrugged in return.

Jason extended one hand and his face became determined.

Amy started to slow down as she fell, as if a pillow of air was holding her. _There probably is one,_ I had to remind myself. She landed gently in her cousin's arms. Although I couldn't see their faces clearly, I imagined that Amy and her cousins looked rather shocked.

Jason did not fare very well with that display of his powers. He doubled over in pain. Tyson turned to me, his eyes worried. I was just as helpless as him though. Jason couldn't have any more ambrosia or nectar. Otherwise, he would burst into flames, and we didn't have any regular medicine that could help.

A gun shot fired, drawing my attention.

Amy and her cousins were in a boat chase being followed by- who I assumed was- the owner of that house.

"How about you do some of that aqua man water thing now," Jason suggested, finally being able to speak.

It was my turn to look at him oddly and receive a small shrug in return.

I could tell the boat was going full throttle, and neither Amy nor her cousins were strapped in. I prayed quickly to the gods that my plan would not got them killed before extending my hands to control the water.

Waves crashed against Amy's boat, pointing the bow of the boat at a flat area I spotted between two large boulders. The speedboat shot through and rocketed out of the water up a grassy embankment. Some water sprang from the lake and swept the three people out of the boat before it crashed. Amy and her family were deposited in a little softer area by the water away from the destroyed boat.

_Not exactly my best idea,_ I thought, wincing internally.

"We better make sure they're still alive," Jason said to us. He spoke calmly, but his eyes shimmered with worry, and I had a feeling I knew who that worry was mostly directed to.

Tyson and I helped him stand and went to find Amy and her cousins, hopefully living and with just a few scrapes and bruises.

**Amy POV**

My bag's contents scattered in all directions, but the "Medusa" and Vesper phone were safe and away from harm. Jonah and Hamilton helped me pick up my strewn items.

We had just reached the limo when I heard my name being called. Looking around, I spotted Percy, Jason, and Tyson making their way towards us.

"What do they want now?" Hamilton complained.

"Amy, are you alright?" Percy asked me as they drew closer to us. Jason leaned against the limo.

"What is it to you?" Hamilton asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance. He took a step forward in a challenging way. I could tell he was getting ready for a fight.

"She's my friend, so it happens to be a lot to me." Percy said, responding to Hamilton's move with a step forward of his own.

_Come on,_ I snapped at myself. _You're supposed to be the Madrigal here- do something!_

But in my heart, I knew that there was really nothing I could do. My heart was proved right as Jonah and Tyson joined in the argument. I decided to intervene if any of them started a fist fight.

I turned away from them to look at Jason who rested next to me. His eyes were focused on the four guys in front of us. Jason looked completely exhausted and in pain, but he did seem in better condition than when I left him.

His head turned, and he gazed at me. I must admit, my heart might have skipped a beat or two when my eyes connected with his electric blue ones. Jason grabbed my hand and pulled me lightly away from the arguing four.

"How are you, Amy?" Jason asked me, but it was obvious he had something else on his mind.

"How am I?" I replied. "You're the one who was attacked. How are you?"

"I'm better." He paused. "Look, I'm not going to pretend that I don't know you have Caravaggio's 'Medusa.' We don't need to take it, just see it."

"Why?" It seems like I've been asking that question a lot lately.

"We already answered that." He reminded me. "You were going to explain something to us."

_Yeah, before you almost got killed._

"You just need to look at it?" I asked, deciding to ignore that last sentence.

"We just need to examine it," Jason confirmed.

_They know we have it. They just need to see it. _I laid out the facts in my head. _I suppose it couldn't hurt._

"Let me talk to my cousins." I decided before turning my thoughts back to his health. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

He smiled. "After we get the thing for our dads, I'll take a long nap."

I frowned. "Wouldn't your dad rather you rest first, then go and get whatever you are looking for?"

"My dad's… complicated." Jason answered without really answering my question.

The Vesper phone chimed, making me jump. Hamilton and Jonah immediately stopped arguing and came over to me as I took it out and examined the latest text.

72 hours left. Tick. . . tick. . . tick. . .

Make sure you are right this time. Don't give me the pleasure of punishing another Cahill. After all, I've been trying to cut down.

Vesper One

"Man, that guy is creepy." Hamilton commented as he read over my shoulder.

I shook my head. "He would need a lot of years of charm school to work his way up to creepy."

"Who would?" Percy asked. _Oops, forgot about them._

Fortunately, I didn't have to answer that. Unfortunately, that was because the phone emitted a chirp, and a new message appeared on the screen.

Battery Low

20% of power remaining

"You have a charger, right?" Jonah asked me.

"Umm…"


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N: **Thank you to all the reviewers. As I have said before, I am doing my best to update as soon as I can, and Jason will give Amy the necklace- just not right now. Here is chapter 26. Please enjoy and no flames._

**Percy POV**

"I know I put it in here," Amy said, more to herself than anyone else. She searched frantically through her bag.

"Do you think you might have left it somewhere?" I asked. The three Cahills were looking slightly panicked, so I figured this charger was important- although I didn't know why.

"We must have lost it when the boat crashed." Amy continued with her conversation with herself.

Her cousin Hamilton frowned. Worry etched his features. "If Vesper One sends the instructions for the drop-off, but then we never get them because the phone is dead…"

"We need that cable now!" Amy exclaimed, cutting her cousin off. "Their lives depend on it!"

I had no idea who Vesper One or the lives that depended on a cable were, but I figured that now was not the time to ask. The three of them looked ready to punch someone, and I did not want it to be me.

"Chill, cuz," Jonah Wizard soothed. "They have cell phone stores here in Italy, too. We'll just buy a new charger. My treat."

Surprisingly, Amy and her cousins allowed us to help them without any arguments.

As much as Jason, Tyson, and I tried to help, the fear began to rise. We went to store after store along Milan's Via Vitruvio, and at each one we were informed that they had no power cable that would match Amy's phone's unusual connection interface.

Hamilton called Amy. He had taken their limo to Lake Como to search the speed boat remains. Tyson had gone with him, and when they told us there was no sign of the missing charger, Tyson sounded so upset that I wished I could've given him a hug.

"It's probably at the bottom of the lake," Hamilton reported mournfully through the speaker.

"When that phone runs out of power, we won't be able to follow Vesper One's orders anymore!" Jonah raved.

"If he thinks we're ignoring him, then the next time he shoots one of our people, it'll be right between the eyes!" Hamilton added.

"Wait, who's shooting who?" I asked confused. _What is Amy into?_

"We are _not_ done yet." I turned to look at Amy. She said it with such determination that was mirrored in her expression. When I looked at her in that moment, my thought was, _that is a leader._

"You're out of your mind, yo!" Jonah was beside himself, so unlike what I was used to seeing Jonah Wizard as. "We can't find the original or buy a new one. What's left for us to do?"

"We can invent our own," Amy told him.

"Invent our own?" Hamilton asked.

"Well, not _us_," she amended. "But Sinead is an Ekat. Maybe she can whip something up."

**Amy POV**

I sat in our private jet. Jonah, Hamilton, and I were killing a few hours as we waited for the thunderstorms that closed Peretola Airport to move off.

Jonah buried himself in a pile of scripts he was reading to choose his next movie project. However, he spent most of the time on his iPad, staring forlornly at a picture of Phoenix. Hamilton curled and pumped a set of dumbbells with such a wild abandon that he dented the bulkhead of our plane in three- _Clunk!_- four places.

I, on the other hand, divided my time up. Part of the time I spent with my eyes trained on the power indicator of the Vesper phone, trying to prevent the bars from dwindling by the sheer force of my mind. The other part I spent examining the latest- and, I hope, genuine- "Medusa" with Percy and all of his friends. The other three had met up with us at the airport to examine it.

I looked at the "Medusa." It seemed identical to the forgery from the Uffizi- the same ugly, horrified face, spurting blood, snake hair, and the feeling that you could almost here the scream.

I left the group and wandered over to Jonah. "If that one is the real McCoy," I spoke in low tones, "then how could Vesper One know the other one was a fake? They are exactly the same."

"Maybe the dude's an art connoisseur." Jonah replied quietly, recognizing my want to not let the non-Cahills hear us. "The Janus copies were a little different. That's because they were made so fast."

"But this is a perfect match for the one we handed over to them."

"There are other ways to tell if a work is genuine," Jonah mused. "You can do X-rays and lab tests- that kind of thing- to determine stuff like the age and chemical makeup of the paint."

"Yes, but tests take time," I persisted. "The Vespers apparently knew right away. After all, we made the drop-off, and before we even got halfway through lunch-" My voice cracked as I thought of the video- the way my brother's body flinched as the bullet slammed into him.

"Well, there must have been something that tipped the Vespers off." Jonah replied simply before returning to what he was doing.

When the answer came to me, it seemed so obvious that it was hard to believe that it never occurred to me before.

I stood up and headed back to my original seat. I walked slower as I heard snippets of a conversation.

Thalia was saying, "Check in" and "Three back."

_Are they Vespers?_ I thought worriedly before chastising myself. _They've done nothing but help me. I shouldn't be so suspicious._

Percy said something in reply, but I only caught, "one of each."

_What are they talking about?_ I desperately wanted to know.

Hazel spoke, something about her, Tyson, and Thalia going. They all nodded, and I decided now was a good time to interrupt.

I walked over to the "Medusa" and flipped it over. The backing was black, and where the arm strap would have been was an expanse of rectangular raw wood, both ends were jagged. All of the studs that had at one time held the strip in place were there, attesting to the sixteenth century workmanship.

There was nothing worthy of not that I could find as I examined it. But as my eyes continued to focus on the wood and grew accustomed to its shading, it became apparent to me that some kind of message had been etched there. The characters were faint, and many were even worn away.

I reached for a pencil and a piece of scrap paper. Jason must have realized what I wanted because he handed them to me. Our fingers brushed for a moment before I quickly withdrew mine.

Placing the page over the wood, I tried to focus as I began to rub with the soft side of the lead, hoping to recreate as much as I could of what was written there. We all watched, fascinated, as the letters began appearing.

POR SAN ARIA

"This is what the Vespers must be looking for!" I exclaimed, completely ignoring my surroundings. My triumph waned a bit. "What does it mean?"

"Is it Italian?" Nico asked, bringing me crashing back to my surroundings.

"Maybe," I replied. "It could be Latin, too. I can't be sure unless I have all of it."

"It's Latin," Jason spoke up, staring intently at the paper. "It's the Porta Sanavivaria."


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N: **Thank you all so much for the reviews and support! I am getting extremely busy, but I will try my hardest to update whenever I can. Thank you for your patience. I won't keep you waiting any longer. Please enjoy and don't flame._

**Jason POV**

"Which is…" Percy prompted.

"At the Roman Colosseum." I explained. "It was how you left the Colosseum if the emperor spared you."

"What is its translation?" Amy asked.

"It's Latin for the Gate of Life." I replied.

"Roman Colosseum- Gate of Life," she repeated. She gently bit down on her lower lip, staring absentmindedly at the shield. Amy does that a lot when she's thinking- almost subconsciously, I noticed.

_When did I start noticing this? _I backtracked on my thoughts. _Why did I pay so much attention to Amy? I never did to other girls before._

Amy raised her head and called out to her cousins. "Can you drop me off in Rome"

"Yo, what am I? A movie star or a taxi service?" Jonah grumbled from somewhere in the depths of his script pile.

"Technically, you're neither." Amy's other cousin puffed, lifting weights like one of Mars' children. "I mean, you are a _star_ and you have made _movies_…"

Amy rolled her eyes at them. Her cell phone rang. She turned away and answered it.

Percy removed his own cell phone from his pocket and took a picture of both sides of the "Medusa."

"Just in case," he mouthed.

"Let's step outside and give them some space." Hazel whispered.

Once we were all settled outside the jet I spoke. "Do you think the Porta Sanavivaria could lead us to da Vinci's 'Medusa?'"

"It's the best lead we've got," Nico stated, and, unfortunately, it was the only lead we had.

"I say go for it." Thalia declared. "Hazel, Tyson, and I will tell our fathers that you three are heading to Rome to follow up a lead when we check in."

"Stay with Amy," Tyson suggested. He was looking at me when he said it, which made me feel like he was trying to tell me something.

Before I could contemplate any hidden meanings, Hazel nodded and added, "Yeah, I bet she'll be able to figure this out and find it!"

"She is really smart, and with Kelp Head on the search team, you really do need some extra intelligence." My sister agreed, not missing a chance to annoy Percy.

"Hey," he protested. "I-"

"What do we say to Amy to let us come with her?" Nico interrupted before a fight could break out.

Percy shrugged. "Maybe she'll ask us to come with her."

I was not the only one who rolled their eyes at him.

**Amy POV**

When I answered the call from Attleboro, I vaguely noticed Percy and his friends walk outside the jet.

"We've figured out what the phone is!" Sinead exclaimed.

"Amy? It's McIntyre," announced an older, dignified voice. "Ian is here also. You are live in the comm. center."

"Fabulous," I said sarcastically, "now what about the Vesper phone?"

McIntyre explained to me how the DeOssie ultra-secure smart phone systems were only sold to spy agencies and the military. "The knowledge of this technology and company could help us with our investigation of Vesper One's identity."

"It's our best lead so far," Sinead decided to put in.

"What about the collar tag of the guy with the crossbow?" I asked.

"We're on that, too," Ian promised me. "But this is bigger. If this mobile phone is so restricted that you need to be secretary of defense to buy it, how did Vesper One qualify? Is he an ex-spy or a former military officer? At minimum, there's a Vesper on the DeOssie client roster somewhere. The whole company is controlled by Vespers, for all we know! Our people could be held somewhere in the DeOssie factory in upstate New York."

"Maybe you can get customer details or some shipping addresses," I mused. "Tap some of our Cahill connections in government and the military."

"Our contacts at the state department couldn't unearth a single DeOssie client." McIntyre said sadly. "Ian's Lucian friends at CIA were likewise stymied. A three-star general from the Tomas even lacked the necessary security clearance. Given time, it's possible that we could acquire the information-"

"Time is the one thing we _don't_ have," I agreed, although grudgingly. "I'm going to Skype you from my laptop, so we can all talk about this."

The video link seemed to underscore the thousands of miles that separated me from a normal life. I don't think I've felt farther from home, but this was not the time to be distracted.

Between Attleboro and the Gulf Stream jet, we cobbled a plan together. Jonah and Hamilton would return to the United States to join Ian and Sinead on a nighttime expedition to check out the DeOssie factory. It was to be a spy mission, searching for anything that might lead them to the identity of the Vespers and where they might be found- client lists, shipping orders, service contracts, etc. However, at the first sign that the hostages were there, it would convert to a rescue attempt.

"You should be with us, Amy," Sinead urged. "This is more important than keeping Vesper One happy."

I looked at her. "Until we have our hostages safe and sound, _nothing_ is more important than keeping Vesper One happy. I can't be an ocean away when the message comes in to hand over the 'Medusa.'"

"If the Vesper phone has not already died by then," Hamilton added. "What's the word on a new charger?"

"I am on it," Sinead replied. "It'll take some time."

"What if the text comes in to deliver the painting?" Ian asked. "You'll be in Rome, not Florence. And you won't have the plane after Jonah and Hamilton head back to the States."

"Vesper One gave me ninety-six hours," I reasoned. "Tomorrow's Thursday. If I go to the Colosseum in the morning, I'll have plenty of time to get back to Florence at night to make the drop-off on Friday. It is usually less than three hours by train or car."

"Unless the guy changes his mind," Hamilton added nervously.

"He may be psycho," I replied evenly, "but he hasn't lied to us yet." I cut the connection after a quick good-bye to Attleboro.

"Yo, Ames," Jonah spoke up. "I don't like the idea of you going to Rome by yourself. What if you run into some Vespers?"

"Yeah," Hamilton agreed. "And as much as I hate to say it, why don't you bring those guys with you." He gestured to the door where Percy and his friends had excited. "You can bring them with you to the Colosseum, ditch them while you search, and then find them again if you run into any Vespers."

Percy and friends chose that moment to enter.

"Sorry," Hazel apologized. "Are we interrupting you guys?"

"No, no," I assured. "In fact, I was just about to find you."

"What for?" Percy asked.

I took a deep breath. "Well, I wanted to go to Rome, but my cousins have to go back to the States, and they don't want me to go alone. I was wondering if you would come with me?"

The group looked at each other incredulously, except for Percy who just smiled, almost triumphantly.

"Of course we would, Amy."


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N: **Hey, guys! I'm very sorry about the long wait, but I am trying to get control over my extremely hectic life. I will try to update as soon as I can and whenever I can. Thank you for all the reviews that keep me remembering to write more, I really appreciate it. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Read, enjoy, and don't flame._

**Percy POV**

_Ha! _I thought triumphantly as Amy, Jason, Nico, and I stood in line for the Colosseum. _They thought she wouldn't ask._

Hazel, Thalia, and Tyson promised to meet back up with us as soon as they could. Who knows how long the gods would keep them?

"Amy! Amy!" A high pitched voice cut across the crowd. "Over here!" A young boy ran up to Amy. I recognized him from the arcade police scene. "Why didn't you tell me you were in Rome?"

"We just got here," Amy admitted.

"You never said you were coming. I could've arranged an entire tour around the city!"

She shrugged. "It's kind of a family thing." _Yeah, I could believe that._ "Oh, I'm sorry. Atticus, this is Percy, Nico, and Jason. Guys- Dan's friend Atticus."

"Come on, we have a place in line ahead," the kid invited. "You've met Jake already, right?"

Atticus and his older brother Jake could not have been more different from each other. Atticus was dark and slight. His owlish eyes were behind large round glasses, and his tightly woven dreadlocks reached his shoulders. Then there was Jake. He was a little taller than me, fairer than his brother, and had sharp eyes.

"You sure are full of surprises today, Att," Jake accused, looking as if he was smelling something slightly unpleasant that he couldn't put his finger on. Amy seemed to notice his unenthusiastic attitude.

"We will go off on our own as soon as we get inside. We don't want to intrude on your day."

"Are you kidding?" Atticus crowed. "We'll tour together! I'll be your guide. I know the Colosseum like the back of my hand."

Amy hesitated before nodding. "Together, then."

As soon as we got inside, Atticus began the tour. He started with different types of columns that the Romans used.

"Is he getting all of that right?" I whispered to Jason. He nodded.

"He could rival the Athena Cabin!" Nico whispered to us.

"The origins, of course, are Greek," Atticus went on. "Most Roman architecture derives from Greek sources…"

"When do we get to the part about people being eaten by lions?" Nico put in.

Jake cast a superior glance at Nico, making me want to punch him for it. Jake explained the gross exaggeration of the myth of Christians being fed to wild carnivores.

I noticed Amy frowning at Jake before turning back to study the most famous stadium that has ever existed.

I wasn't an architect lover, like Annabeth, but even I could see the grandness of it. The Colosseum was nearly two millennia old, ruined by centuries of storms, earthquakes, and theft. The size, basic design and seating capacity, was not any different than a football stadium that could host a twenty-first century Super Bowl. The Romans were pretty awesome.

Nico made a comment on Foxboro, where the Patriots play, being like the Colosseum.

"In actuality," Atticus told Nico, "the Colosseum was superior to Foxboro in many ways. It was covered, for example. A velarium, which was a huge canopy, provided protection from the sun."

"Whoa," I said. "This used to be the Roma-dome."

Atticus nodded and also explained how the high capacity crowds could move in and out much faster. He told us that there are approximately eighty exits at ground level that were attached to the vomitoria.

"_Vomitoria_?" Nico laughed. "What's that- the barfing section?" Atticus laughed so hard that he began to choke. Beside me Amy muttered something, most likely talking to herself.

"What?" I asked her.

She looked at me, surprised. "Hmm? Oh, I was just saying that those two have a sense of humor like Dan's."

I patted her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure he's alright."

"Mm- hmm," she replied, not looking the least bit convinced. Atticus recovered from his laughter enough to explain that the vomitorium was an exit. Nico, of course, had to argue the point that it was like the stadium barfed out the people.

Atticus turned his attention to the arena's center."Since the Colosseum's floor is gone, what we are looking at right here are the passages and holding pens underneath. The Romans had a trap door in the ring's middle to be able to hoist up new animals and release them right into the middle of the action. And over _here_…"

**Amy POV**

As much as I would love to tour around the Colosseum and learn everything I could, there were lives at stake here. It was time for me to get moving.

I sped up past Jason, Jake, and Percy. "Atticus!" I called. "Which way to the Porta Sanavivaria?"

Atticus beckoned to the group. "Follow me!" He led us to a huge stone arch that was the east entrance to the Colosseum. "When the games began, the entire procession would march in through the Gate of Life. All the gladiators would face the emperor and shout, 'we who are about to die solute you!'"

Percy whispered something to Jason that sounded almost like, "Your ancestors had style."

Atticus was just getting warmed up with this topic. "In battle, when a gladiator had his opponent at his mercy, he would look towards the crowd for thumbs-up or thumbs-down. If the loser was spared, he could leave through the Gate of Life. Thumbs-down, he left-"

"Don't tell me," I said. "There is a Gate of Death, too."

The boy genius nodded, pointing to the opposite end of the arena, where a similar portal led to the outside. "The Porta Libitinensis- the west entrance. Now, when the emperor was in attendance, he would…"

I was no longer listening once my eyes focused on a posted diagram just inside of the Gate of Life. It was a map of the tunnels under the Colosseum directly below me. There was something familiar in the way the passages curved in and around each other. The "Medusa" snake hair!

_Caravaggio's "Medusa" is a map,_ I thought excitedly.

Jason appeared next to me. "What are you looking at?" I took a step back so he could see. "Are they open to the public?"

Jake answered. "Some are, others have not been shored up yet."

"We can show you haw to get down there," Atticus volunteered before starting down a stone ramp to the arena's now open sub floor.

I could imagine the wild beasts living in the pens hinted by the ancient walls.

"Sooo, Amy," Percy said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"Um, not sure yet," I decided to answer honestly. "I'm just going where the map takes me."

"What map?" Jason and Nico appeared next to me, and I realized they had me boxed in.

"Who _are_ you guys?" I hissed. Taking a risk, I added, "Are you Vespers?"

They shared a confused look before Nico answered. "We have no idea what a Vesper is. We are… cousins?"

I stopped, forcing them to stop, too, and look at me. "What exactly do you want from me?"

Percy shrugged. "Your brain."

Nico jabbed him sharply in the stomach. "We are not aliens!"

Jason stepped forward. "Percy meant that we need your help to figure out where the original 'Medusa' is."

I stood in thought. The Caravaggio "Medusa" is a map. _A map to what? _I wondered. _How about to the original that it was based off of?_ It made sense.

I sighed. It'd be better to not do this alone. "Fine. Did you guys notice anything familiar about the tunnels?"

"They are underground?" Percy unhelpfully offered.

Nico rolled his eyes. "No kidding, Fish boy."

"I'd like to hear your better thought, Zombie dude." _Fish boy? Zombie dude?_

"It's similar to Medusa's hair," Jason supplied the correct answer, successfully breaking up the other boys' argument. Percy pulled out his phone and showed a picture of the "Medusa."

Before I could ask how he had a picture of it on his phone, Nico pointed to one snake biting another snake. "That must be our 'x' that marks the spot! It's the only one like that."

The Rosenblooms appeared, seeing that we weren't following. "Everything okay?" Atticus asked. I smiled and nodded, taking Percy's phone to use the picture as my guide to track our path


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: There are extra and deleted scenes as well as a sneak peek in the chapter.**

_**I have recently received an anonymous review from someone named "Guest."  
><strong>__:Update sooner. I'm getting tired of the wait and am thinking about just  
>taking this story over. Or making my friend write it. Also, why didn't the<br>demigods be the least bit effected by the Gate of Life? They did go through a  
>war with Gaea... Also, why hasn't Percy thought about Annabeth yet? Did she<br>break up with him or something? All in all, update faster.  
>A ** reviewer.<em>

_**I would just like to say, I appreciate the criticism, and I will try to fix what you saw wrong when I get a chance to. However, you were unbelievably rude and disrespectful in how you went about that. I am sorry that I can't update as frequently as you would like. However, I am going through a very stressful time offline. I hate to break this to you, Guest, but I have a life besides fan fiction. There is a lot of work that I need to have done before I can even start working on the story. You are going to have to either be patient or stop reading this story. **_

_**Also, if you would like to plagiarize my story, feel free. Feel free to take what I have put hard work and effort into writing. Feel free to take my ideas if I am physically unable to meet your extraordinarily RUDE demands. I just hope that when you do, you feel ashamed of yourself for stealing something that was never rightfully yours, and will NEVER rightfully be yours- not unless I decide to put this story up for adoption, and if I do, that will be in MY OWN TIME, and of my own free will, not because an impatient, immature child didn't feel like waiting. Good writing takes a lot of time, and if you are unwilling to wait for me to update when I am able, perhaps you shouldn't be reading this in the first place. Thank you, and have a good day.**_

**To everyone: I'm really sorry about that. Usually I am much nicer than that, but I just really got tired of asking people to stop telling me to update when I am trying my absolute hardest to write the chapters for everybody. I have said in my A/Ns that I am busy and will update when I can. I have decided to try and update at least once a month to give you all something to go by, so please be patient.**

** Now onto the things in this chapter. There is a deleted scene in Amy's POV, a sneak peek of a later chapter that I had written a small scene for when inspiration struck in Jason's POV, and a special extra scene by Firestorm N. (to help me get this out quickly, so I can work on the next chapter) in Annabeth's POV. Thank you to all of the polite reviewers. Remember no flames- read and enjoy.**

**Amy POV**

I curled up on the couch in my pajamas, a sweat shirt thrown over my shirt. The guys were all out in the kitchen at the counter working on their job- getting the Da Vinci "Medusa."

I had my laptop on, both of my cell phones out, and papers and files of my research spread out in an organized mess across the coffee table in front of me.

Closing my eyes, I rolled my head. I was so tired and my stress headache was not helping matters. I could hear footsteps enter the room. Opening my eyes and turning towards the sound, I found out it was Jason.

He handed me a mug with steam coming off of it. "Hot chocolate," Jason told me as I thanked him and gratefully took the warm beverage. "I thought you could use something to drink."

I nodded before rolling my head again, rubbing my neck, before taking a cautious sip of the still steaming hot chocolate.

"Is something wrong?" he asked concerned.

I gave a little shrug, careful not to spill my drink. "I've got a little headache and my neck hurts, that's all."

"Let's see if I can help you with that." Jason moved behind my back, and before I could protest, began to massage my shoulders. As soon as he started though, I had no complaints. I closed my eyes.

It was strange how he could fight that hydra and get injured, but then his same hands could be gentle like now on my shoulders.

"Better?" His breath tickled my ear.

I simply nodded and drank some more of the hot chocolate.

**Jason POV**

I took a step closer and removed the necklace from her hand. "Here. Let me help you with this."

She nodded and lifted up her hair as I moved behind her to clasp the necklace on, letting the eagle glide down her skin until it rested at her collarbone.

I stepped back around with a glance at the ring on my hand.

**Annabeth POV**

Annabeth stared down at the plans in front of her. She knew that she was getting close to finishing them, but her mind was anywhere but on architecture. She could only think of what she'd said to Percy. Maybe she had been too hard on him ... after all, her boyfriend of was off on a quest, and he was under a lot of pressure. Guiltily, Annabeth glanced over at the unfinished wall in the front of Olympus. It was nearly complete, with the exception of a gaping circular hole in the center of the gate. The Medusa painting would be placed there to help intimidate intruders, and it would also serve as magical protection. The entire purpose of Percy's quest was her own architectural design. He was putting himself in danger because of her, and yet she'd snapped at him. Annabeth cursed herself silently, wishing she could take back her harsh words. She could only hope that Percy would forgive her once he returned...

"We're back, Lord Zeus." Annabeth turned as she heard Thalia's familiar voice. The huntress bowed low as the god of the sky approached.

"Thalia. How is the quest?" Zeus asked, crossing his arms and staring down at his daughter.

"It's going pretty well, but we've kind of run into a problem: there's another group looking for the Medusa. Percy, Jason, and Nico are working with them, but I have no idea how we're going to decide who gets it in the end."

"Hmmph. Surely nothing is more important than the completion of Olympus?" He grumbled, but Thalia only shrugged.

"From the way they put it, it seems like someone really important is at stake."

"Who is this group?"

"The Cahills." Annabeth lost interest in the rest of the conversation; the name "Cahill" sounded strangely familiar, and she intended to find out why it was significant. She headed for the library.


	30. Chapter 30

_**A/N: **_**Warning: Long But Important A/N. **_Thank you to everyone who responded. I don't mind if you talk amongst each other, but if you could please make sure you don't just argue- that you have something that is for the chapter or story. Thank you all once again. I read all reviews, and most of them made me happy however there were a few I could've done without. I consider all advice and try to answer any questions. I forgot to answer some questions from the last actual chapter, so I hope this chapter explains them to those who asked. To Guest, who asked me to call her Sam, I will not throw your suggestions away. If you could please be kind enough to phrase it in a way where you are not insulting or being rude to myself or others, I would very much appreciate it. For the one who asked (I don't know if you guys want me to use names or not) I'm glad you like the pairing and I will try to make a little more romance. Last, but not least, I have a very important poll that decides the fate of this story on my profile. PLEASE VOTE! Now here's the chapter._

**Percy POV**

Have you ever walked into a basement or some other dark place where you had experienced something bad and saw shadows play on the wall? It's kind of freaky. Gaea was back in Tartarus where she belonged, but, surrounded by all the dirt of the tunnels, I felt like I could hear Gaea's insane laughter tumbling around in my head.

I thought I had been doing so well not thinking of the war.

"You okay, Perce?" Nico asked me under his breath. "You have a weird look on your face."

"Just thinking of the war," I replied quietly. Nico nodded in understanding, thankfully letting the subject drop.

The fresh air and sunlight of the Colosseum seemed far behind us in the bare bulb strung corridors. It no longer felt like the sight of victory, but like the bowels of the earth leading us into the Underworld.

The atmosphere seemed to be affecting Jake, too. "What do you say we turn around now?" he suggested.

"You guys don't have to come with me," Amy told the group airily. "I can catch up with you back at the Colosseum."

"I want to keep going. I've never been this far before," Atticus told his brother.

"Because there is _nothing_ to see," Jake grumbled, but followed us as we continued forward following Amy. When we reached the first fork, Atticus hesitated, but Amy immediately chose the left path and kept going.

Jake began to protest going farther, and Amy replied with patience before ignoring him and continuing on. We took the right path of the next fork, hugging the stone wall around the bend.

Amy let out a surprised gasp as she stumbled into a sign. Jason steadied her before reading the sign for the group, "Unexcavated- do not enter."

"Well, that's that," Jake announced with an I- told- you- so facial expression.

"That's nothing," Amy retorted. "I'm going on."

"The tunnel's closed!" Jake argued.

"No, it's not," Amy reasoned. "I'm looking straight at it. It is as open as the part we just came through."

I was suddenly really glad Jake wasn't Leo. If he was, then his annoyance probably would have burned down the Colosseum. "Unexcavated means that this part of the tunnel is not safe. It could cave on top of you."

"This tunnel has been here for two thousand years," I decided to involve myself in the conversation. "Why would it pick today to cave in?"

"You guys head back," Amy suggested. "I need to explore a little more."

Jake's eyes narrowed at her. "You _need_ to?"

""This is just my hobby," Amy answered. "Instead of collecting stamps or snow globes, I find creepy old places and poke around them." I don't think that last part was a lie. Who knows where Amy Cahill has been traveling?

"I completely understand that it's not for everybody," she added soothingly.

Atticus spoke up, "I want to go with Amy."

The four of us watched in amazement as the two Rosenbloom brothers got into a heated argument. Amy shrugged, grabbed Jason's hand, and began to lead us into the forbidden section of the tunnel. Even when we could no longer see them, Jake and Atticus' argument could still be clearly heard.

"We're still on the snakes right?" Nico asked.

"Check," Amy confirmed. "The passage should veer to the left and- oh no."

We rounded the bend to find ourselves staring into blackness. The lights did not go any further.

"Now what?" I asked.

**Amy POV**

I fished around in my pocket and pulled out a flashlight key chain. The glow of the mini flashlight and the phone screen splayed creepy shadows everywhere.

The light was faint against the darkness, but it brightened enough to allow us to keep going on. We moved slow, stumbling over the loose rocks that littered the tunnel floor. The passage went on for about another hundred yards before it ended abruptly at a T.

I double-checked the "medusa" picture. "This is it," I announced, playing the beam around on the featureless stone walls.

"Here?" Percy asked. "Really?"

"Exactly," I confirmed. "The end of this path is the biting snake, and the cross path is the snake that it is biting."

We began examining every inch of the intersection. I noticed that Nico seemed to be having a pretty easy time in the dark. It looked like he was doing some sonar type thing to the ground. Odd method, I guess, but who cares if it brought a result?

"Percy- help me out with this," Nico said, tugging on a stone that was not budging.

The two of them were on their knees and pulled on the stone hard. With a loud scrape, a large piece of stone floor lifted away. Jason helped the two push it aside, but he could only use his one arm because of his injury.

It left behind an opening. Inside was a bundle wrapped in ancient cloth that mostly had disintegrated into its component threads. Under my touch, the material parted to reveal a rounded and cracked piece of dry wood.

"It's a shield," Nico breathed, noting the convex shape.

"Wait a minute!" A thought dawned on me. "There is a legend that Caravaggio's 'Medusa' is based on an earlier shield by Leonardo Da Vinci."

"And?" Percy asked.

"It was never found." I held up the shield, directing the light on it. All that remained of the image painted on it were faint shadings on the wood. "This is probably the reason why."

"It's gone," Jason observed, gently removing the shield from my grasp. "But this seems to be what Dad wants, so…"

"We'll bring it to them," Percy finished.

I was more focused on the fact that I held a shield that once had held an image created by the greatest artist of all time on it to register the weird conversation they were having.

There was another item in the ragged bundle, so I turned my attention to it.

"A book?" I mused. Pages sewn with thick cords and bound into heavy leather covers comprised the large manuscript. The inside leaf had elegant calligraphy written in fading ink.

"What language is it?" Nico asked, peering over my shoulder.

"French, maybe?" I guessed. "Monde is French for world, but I don't recognize anything else."

The tunnel echoed with pounding feet. Our heads snapped up to see a slight figure coming towards us. I raised my key chain light's beam. Atticus.

He was out of breath. "Whatever you are doing, you better hurry! Jake went to rat you out to security."


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Warning: Long A/N **_I'm sorry for the long wait. I have reasons for it, but- no offense- I don't really like to talk about my personal life with anyone other than close family/friends. Please accept my humblest apologies on the wait. Thank you for the reviews they were all lovely. This chapter is dedicated to the reviewers. To answer your questions: I have no idea how many chapters this will be (50 maybe?). I do plan on writing more PJO/39C fics. I'm not on the 39 Clues messaging board. Should I be? How about chocolate covered caramel? Do you guys want a JakexAmyxJason love triangle? I can do that. Please read, and enjoy, but don't flame._

**Percy POV**

Amy snapped the manuscript shut. Atticus had seen the title page though. "Where on Earth did you get that?"

"Get what?" Amy asked. She looked calm, but her eyes gleamed with a slight panicking look.

Atticus looked at the book reverently. "It's _The Travels of Marco Polo_!"

"No, It's not," she denied. "It's in some weird form of the French language."

"It's _Old _French," Atticus corrected, dropping down beside the four of us. "The original title was _Books of the Wonders of the World_. _Il Milione_- _The Million_ is what they call it in Italian. This find is astonishing! How did you know its location?"

"It's a really long story," Amy offered then winced as if she was in pain, "and I promise Dan or I will explain all of this to you one day- just not now."

The kid was so absorbed in the pages that he didn't take offence. "There's an epilogue!" His voice was an awed whisper. I was starting to worry about this guy. What did he do for fun, chess or ten extra curricular school classes? "This is something I've _never_ seen before- and I have read _Il Milione _at least ten times! Do you have any idea what this means?" He demanded. "This isn't just an original book; it is _Marco Polo's_ original- the one that was dictated to Rustichello da Pisa at the end of the thirteenth century!"

Amy's eyes sparked. It was like something just clicked into place in her mind. What that something was, I have absolutely no idea.

I didn't have much time to dwell on it because, at that moment, Jake's distant call echoed through the tunnels. "Att! Where are you?"

"I'm with Amy and the others!" Atticus shouted back. "And you'll never believe what we found!"

"What does he mean 'we?' He didn't do anything." Nico said. "He wasn't even here when we found it."

"Somehow, I don't think that matters," Jason said, watching Amy hurriedly packing and glancing at the leather bound object Atticus held.

"You all will return immediately to the legal part of the tunnel!" ordered a voice. It kind of reminded me of Chiron at camp when giving out the rules of capture the flag.

"I almost hate to give this up," Atticus started, standing up as he cradled the Marco Polo manuscript. "I mean, of course, I know it belongs in a museum-"

To all of our utter astonishment, Amy snatched the leather bound volume out of his arms. I think we all realized Amy was not giving it up when she put it in her bag, her face deadly serious. Annabeth would have a very similar look whenever she fought for something or against someone.

Atticus' smile disappeared. "You can't keep it."

"We should go," was all she said.

Nico picked up the shield and tossed it to me. The slapping of feet in the tunnel grew louder. Jake and the guard were coming.

"I'm sorry Atticus," Amy managed before she turned and ran.

**Amy POV**

_Dan is never going to forgive me._ I thought as Atticus screamed and sobbed at the same time, calling for his brother.

"You don't think he's upset enough to get himself lost down here, do you?" Percy asked. I almost jumped in surprise. I hadn't realized that they had followed me.

"Don't worry," I assured him. "The guard will find him." At least that was what I was hoping. I was a horrible person, I decided, but no time to think on that thought. "Come on, if you're following me, I've got to beat them back to the Coloseum!"

I spotted the electric lights in the distance- the "legal" part of the tunnel system. And then I saw a large uniformed man step out into our path.

Skidding to a stop, I spun on my heel and started in the opposite direction. Percy, Jason, and Nico were close behind, their reflexes as fast as mine, maybe more so. The Clue Hunt had honed my escape instinct into a fine art, and it served me well here. Jake had managed to get a grip on Nico once we began to slow after weaving an intricate trail through the maze of tunnels.

"Let him go," I said quietly, stopping Percy and Jason from attacking.

"Why should I?" Jake demanded. "So you can return to plundering a World Heritage Site?"

"You have no idea of what is at stake." _None of them do, how could they?_

"Do you?" he retorted. "Who do you think you are? This is Marco Polo's _original _manuscript. There-"

Like lightning, my foot shot up, striking him in the side of the abdomen, just below the rib cage. Jake hit the ground with a short gasp, dazed and winded. With his hold on Nico evaporated, the four of us fled.

**Percy POV**

We were fleeing down the tunnels. Amy seemed to be the only one who knew where we were going, though she continually muttered under her breath about how much easier it would be with Dan here.

Loose rubble slowed down our progress quite a few times. I knew at best, we'd be caught by the Italian police. At worst, Gaea would have three children of the big three and their friend in her clutches as we wandered aimlessly, lost in the tunnels.

Nico stopped us, grabbing Amy's wrist in the front to slow down the whole group. "Listen."

Silence enveloped us- no threats being shouted, no footsteps echoing after us.

"Either we gave them the slip or they won't go into unexcavated parts of the tunnel system." Amy replied to the unasked question. The flashlight's glow made her hair seem to be on fire. "My guess is that they are assuming we have to come back to the Colosseum at the some point. All they have to do is hang around then snatch us."

This alarmed me a bit. "We are going back to it sooner or later, right?" Unless, you know, you have a secret escape route that you aren't sharing."

Although it was dark, I could have sworn she rolled her eyes at me. "The whole point of digging a tunnel is to have a point A and point b connect through a secret passage."

"So there might just be another exit." Jason added, catching on.

_Gold star for Sparky._

"Aren't you all forgetting something important?" Nico cut in. "This is the original Roman Empire's tunnel system, and that means most of the point Bs crumbled to dust centuries ago! This tunnel could lead to the concrete foundation of a twelve story parking garage."

"Well," I said, "at least we'll have a get away car." Judging by the vicious scowl he sent me, my comment was not welcomed.

"It's a chance I'll have to take," Amy told him. I felt like there was a lot more to that- a lot more unsaid thoughts- but she didn't elaborate. It wasn't necessary either; this was obviously serious to her, and she needed to get out.

"It's a chance _we'll_ have to take," Jason corrected her. Nico and I nodded in support.

They key chain flashlight flickered in Amy's hand. The circle of illumination it cast grew dimmer.

My heart dropped. "Have you got spare batteries for that thing?"

She shook her head sadly. "It's just a freebie. I never thought I'd actually use it."

The walls seemed to be growing closer, and- in my life- they just might be. Jason and I locked eyes. We were thinking the same thing. _This is no gladiator tunnel, so where does it lead?_

"I think Gaea cursed us," Nico mumbled. The beam flickered once more as we persisted. We needed to make it as far as we could with light before we continued on blindly. The light died. "Yep, definitely cursed. Thanks a lot, Perce."

"Why is it my fault?" I asked incredulous.

"You've ticked off the most immortals," Jason _oh-so-helpfully_ reminded me, wincing slightly as he shifted and bumped his injured shoulder on the wall. Nico nodded in agree- wait a minute…

"Our light's out." Amy apparently had come to the same conclusion as me. "So-"

"How come I can see all of you and vice versa?"  
>I supplied.<p> 


	32. Chapter 32

_**A/N: **_**WARNING: Very Long A/N!**_Hi! I am so sorry for taking almost a year to post this. I feel really awful about it, but this past time has been… insane, I guess would be the best word. I've been trying to chip away at the story and now I've finally been able to finish this chapter. I will try my hardest to get these chapters out because I know that I hate waiting for author updates too. Just a couple of quick things (but feel free to skip down to the chapter and come back up and read after): to my reviewers (and readers), Thank you so much for all of your support and understanding! I can't express how much it means to me that throughout this time you guys still cared about my first ever fan fiction story. Jasy? Does my couple actually have a name now? That's so cool! I like it. Next point, the 39Clues series is getting extremely long. I think I may do a sequel to this and just go farther off-canon than I intended instead of following the series like I wanted. Also, this will allow me to not have to reference the book, and possibly speed my updates. I'm really sorry to those who wanted me to follow the series. Last point, this chapter was not read by my beta because I really wanted to get it out to you all. Read, review, and no flames. Thanks guys! Hope you enjoy!_

**Jason POV**

I blinked. Percy was actually right! I know, I know, don't be so surprised. It was dark, but without the key chain light, we should have been smothered in shadows so thick to the point where even Nico would have trouble seeing. Light was shining from somewhere, maybe the exit to the tunnel. We picked up our pace a little.

"Is this what the Labyrinth was like, Percy?" Nico asked quietly, not wanting Amy to hear.

"Nah," he replied, equally quiet. "It was way more deadly and it had light."

The narrow tunnel suddenly opened up into a large underground grotto. The absence of walls gave me a sense of freedom that reminded me of when I ride on my venti. I froze in recognition once I looked up. This wasn't just some random underground chamber.

"It's the Lupercal!" Amy spun around, taking in our surroundings that had been decorated and finished a zillion years ago. My pride raised slightly under her awe of my heritage. "How incredible is this?"

I bowed my head, sending a prayer to Lupa. She helped create this after all. Bobby will be so jealous when I tell him about this.

"You know what would be even more incredible?" Nico was tapping his foot impatiently. "An exit sign."

If my memories of my lessons are correct, then there were no known exits, and if Lupa knew, she never told anyone. None-the-less, we all searched the chamber.

"They must have lowered the camera from there when they took pictures of this place." Amy pointed up to the light source- a hole where the cave wall met the dome roof. Using my power, I may have been able to reach it, but my shoulder injury would never allow me to get everyone out.

**Percy POV**

Amy zipped the Marco Polo manuscript inside her jacket and began climbing. She was an impressive free-climber. I nodded to Nico, silently telling him to follow.

"You go last," I told Jason softly. "Lift yourself up with the air current."

"Will do."

I jumped up onto the wall and managed to grab Amy's arm when she began to slide down the wall. The three of us inched our way up.

"Is Jason doing okay?" Amy asked.

"Oh, yeah," I lied. "Nico's helping him come up."

I prayed that she didn't look down and instead kept all of her focus towards the ceiling.

Closing in on the dome, I realized the mosaic was actually made out of seashells. It was pretty amazing; however, my goal was freedom so I moved to the opening. It was just a little too narrow for my shoulders.

There were two scientists chiseling into the Lupercal. Well, they _were_ chiseling. Now the two men were standing and jabbering in Italian. I didn't understand a word, so I assumed they were saying, "Hey, kid, please use our hammer to get yourself out!"

They probably didn't say that, but I still took the hammer and got out.

"How you are in this place?" one archaeologist demanded.

"It has been sealed since the time of Caesar Augustus," the other one added.

"I was looking for my friend and cousins."

"Your friend and cousins?"

"Oh- here they are." I reached through the opening and hauled Amy out. Nico followed closely, hoisting himself out.

"You will explain your presence here immediately," the scientist demanded as Nico and I helped Jason through the hole. A breeze ruffled our hair.

"Sorry," Amy said airily. "We gotta bounce."

We scrambled down the Palatine Hill, scampering around ancient homes and ruins.

**Amy POV**

The four of us split up. I have no idea why they finally decided that _now_ they would stop following me, but I was not going to complain.

The taxi driver was far from being Mr. Cheerful as he loaded my luggage into the trunk. My guess was that he was thinking of an endless ride to the airport through Rome's brutal traffic.

I continued deleting Atticus' messages. The pain in my heart continued to expand. Dan was never going to forgive me.

"Not that one!" I snatched my overfilled backpack from the driver's hands. It contained an original Marco Polo manuscript, not exactly a bag that I wanted to let out of my sight. "I will hold onto this one."

"As you wish," he oh-so-not-courteously responded. The trunk gave a loud _clunk!_ shut as I retreated to the taxi's backseat.

_11 New Voicemails_

The phone seemed to be mocking my misery with the lighted message filled with Atticus' pained cries obnoxiously blinking at me.

The driver slipped into his seat behind the wheel. "Destination?"

"Florence." _And make it fast._

"Firenze? You do not travel three hundred kilometers by taxi."

Sighing, I dropped a handful of hundred-euro notes from my backpack into the front passenger seat.

Without another word, the man started the engine and we were heading to Florence.

I listened with sadness and desperation to the messages. This was unfair. I was a kid! I shouldn't be responsible for so many lives and decisions.

A sudden news bulletin interrupted the Euro-pop radio station. I didn't understand the message, but I did catch a few unmistakable words: _Colosseo, Caravaggio, Uffizi, Americano, _and _Cahill._ The driver's shoulders stiffened. His eyes darted to the rear-view mirror.

I better solve this fast.

I plucked out another few hundred-euro notes from my backpack and tossed them with the others. "A bonus for speed."

He gave one of those elaborate European shrugs, but stepped harder on the gas.

**Percy POV**

Jason was not doing well. The three of us had split up with Amy (against my better judgment, but with limited options) and were currently stationed in a corner booth of some Italian titled restaurant.

Nico ate and grumbled about wanting McDonald's. Jason ate and winced every time he moved his shoulder. I ate and, well, ate.

Eventually I decided to actually begin figuring out how to get the very precious object in my bag to the very dramatic Uncle I have.

I paused for thunder. None came.

He must not believe it's him, I thought. Of course he wouldn't.

My cousins would be of no help- Nico was too busy grumbling and Jason was far too exhausted.

I decided to try Apollo again. It'd be easier to travel if all three of us were healthy, not to mention Zeus would probably be less likely to kill us if his son was not injured.

I told the guys that I was going to try him again and exited the restaurant to find a private area that I could IM the haiku-loving god.

Thankfully, he actually responded to it. His face shimmered in the picture as a breeze lightly ruffled the mist. His face showed true concern once I explained what had happened to Jason, and he promised to come to our hotel room immediately and also give us a ride home. I couldn't decide if it'd be worse to take a plane back or ride with Apollo, but it was not really up to me, so I guess it does not matter either way.

I told Nico and Jason what was happening on our way back to the hotel. Apollo came pretty quickly and surprised us all. The encounter went a little something like this:

"Hey, guys! How are my favorite cousins doing?"

"What the-"

"By the gods, Apollo!"

"Haven't you heard of knocking?"

"You asked me here, you know."

"Ow! My shoulder!"

"Nico, give me back my sandwich!"

"No! It's mine now. You took my cookie!"

"Jason, sit still!"

"You're a horrible god of medicine."

"You should be nice to him; he's driving us."

"Whoa, wait a sec here. I did _not_ agree to _that_."

Yeah, it took us a bit to sort everything out. I may have forgotten to tell them that Apollo was our ride, but can you really blame me when I ended up having the hotel phone thrown at my head? Not fun.

We eventually packed up and headed off. At least we didn't have to carry Jason anymore, since he was now fully healed. Though with Apollo's driving, we may need medical attention before we even reach the road. We were taking the road… right?


	33. Chapter 33

_**A/N: **_**WARNING: Long A/N:**_Hey! Long time no update, huh? But guess what! Here is an update. We are nearing the end of this book. I think I am going to do a sequel. What do you think? As always, thank you to my wonderful readers and reviewers! I really appreciate your support, advice, and beautifully crafted words in the form of poems, metaphors, and extreme use of exclamation points. As an apology, I have also created a third piece to follow my other 39C/PJO crossover one-shots. To answer the question "When will Amy find out about Greek/Roman mythology being real?" I say, "Be patient and all shall be revealed" followed by evil laughter creating a sense of "oh, no, Quay finally lost it." Read, Review, and don't flame please. Thanks! Hope you enjoy!_

**Amy POV**

I shifted my two bags more securely onto my shoulder as I entered the place called _Camere_. It meant "rooms" and was a rather large difference from my last hotel in Florence that had been awarded five stars and celebrated as the finest in the city. This one was not mentioned in the guide book and was sandwiched between a pawn shop and a sewage treatment plant. The only thing that this offered- besides cockroaches of remarkable size- was anonymity. No passports required. Fake names recommended. Few questions asked about the American girl who looks like she just climbed out of her grave and may be in trouble with Interpol. Yep, a real island in paradise.

The check-in desk receptionist simply handed Caroline Farely the key to room 6 and went on with her day. _Invisibility_, I thought, _is a real luxury right now_.

After I had changed my look to a platinum blonde wig from some eighties music video and darkened my skin a bit with some Insta-Tan, I sat down on the couch and pulled out my two precious objects- the Marco Polo manuscript and the original Medusa. I hope Percy still hasn't noticed that I slipped it out of his bag when we split ways. For some reason, he and his cousins had a knack of finding me and I really need to keep this piece for Vesper 1. My little brother needs it.

"The drop off should be today," I reassured myself out loud. "Once all the hostages are safe and sound, Dan and I can work on figuring out what the manuscript means."

I flipped to the back of the manuscript, analyzing the dead language. "What do you mean?" I asked the words resting before me. "You must be the key to the Vespers' plan, but how?"

One of the cell phones rang. I took a quick check at the Vesper phone, only to see it remaining silent. My phone read GRACE MANSION. Wasn't it like four a.m. there?

"What's up?" I answered the phone.

Ian's clipped accent bled through the phone. "There has been an incident."

"At the DeOssie factory? Were the hostages there?" I asked hopefully, though by Ian's tone my hope was sinking fast.

"No." He sounded irritated. "And neither is the factory now because of the Thomas and his Cheez Doodles-"

"Amy, it's Sinead," the Ekaterina's voice was all business. "Let me give you the scoop." Sinead told me about the assault on the factory in upstate New York.

"A trap!" I breathed. I should have known. I should have been able to save them the life threatening experience. No. Stop it. I need to focus on the hostages. They're the most important thing.

Sinead agreed. "So please tell Hamilton to calm down. It wasn't the Cheez Doodles! Those firebombs would have gone off for anything. The whole place was wired to blow. Something would have set it off."

"The good news is that we scored your cell charger," Jonah interrupted the almost beginning debate between Sinead and Hamilton. Amy could just _feel_ Hamilton getting ready to explain why it was his fault to her. "I'm sending a bunch of them with my pilot."

"I really hope that you're wasting your money," I told him. Honestly, I wanted the phone to die just to have this over with, but I needed to stay alive just like this phone to help Dan and the others. "I'm waiting to hear from Vesper One about how to deliver the 'Medusa.' If there are any powerful beings out there willing to bless me with a little luck, this will be all over before your plane lands… or before I get carted off to an Italian jail." I quickly added as way of an explanation, "Interpol is after me. I'll have to explain later. The Vesper phone just beeped."

Saved by the bell- err, beep…

I said good bye quickly and began the painstaking process of waiting for my fate and the fate of my family to download on the now-dim screen of the dying phone. _Please last. Please._

The message popped up.

_What fun to visit the circus- especially when you sit in section 5, row W, seat 11. The entire world loves a clown!_

_You are now out of time. Bring the merchandise. This is your last chance._

_Cotton candy is optional._

_So is a date._

_Vesper One_

An advertisement appeared for the Circo di Milano. Eight o'clock this night they were performing in the Piazza dei Cinque Fratelli.

My mind filled with flames. They burned down the factory. Would they do the same to the circus? With me and the 'Medusa' in it? Or just me?

_Why wonder,_ I reasoned, _it's not like I have a choice._

**Percy POV**

Upon arriving at Olympus, I collapsed on the ground and thanked ever deity that I hadn't ticked off yet (which was very limited) and tried to not vomit up all those donuts I had eaten on the way here. Stupid Blackjack, got me all hooked up on donuts. Why did I agree to let him get those?

Nico leaned over and poked my nose. "Is he alive?"

I could see Jason shrug- well, I saw it more out of the corner of the eye that wasn't squished against the nice solid earth that wasn't trying to kill me or anything else. Just nice, flat ground.

Jason swept past him as if we hadn't been dragging him behind us with all of our strength because he was injured until I got Apollo for him. Cue sad puppy dog face that never seems to work on Thalia or Annabeth, but can guilt Grover into anything.

Nico rolled his eyes, but threw out a hand towards me to pull me up before following Jason's lead. I turned towards Apollo, only to find that my dear cousin was nowhere to be seen and the death trap we had ridden in had disappeared.

_Great_, I thought sarcastically to myself, _I managed to lose all of my cousins in less than five minutes._ That has to be a new record, even for me.

"Percy," my girlfriend called. She must have been working on building her designs. "Come on! Everyone's waiting inside for you, Seaweed Brain."

Oh, guess I didn't lose them after all... Yea, me!

Patting the bag at my side, I grinned slightly to myself. We finally finished the quest. We can rest for once.

I took Wise Girl's offered hand, pulling her close.


	34. Chapter 34

_**A/N: **__Hey! So this story is quickly heading towards its end! I believe there will be about 37 (give or take a few) chapters to this story and then there will be a sequel. I believe, based on what I have plotted out, that it will be about the same length. Thank you guys! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! And as my usual saying goes (you should know it by heart now; I've said it 33 times already) Read, review, and no flames._

**Percy POV**

We strolled into the throne room. Thalia, Jason, Nico, and Hazel talked from where they sat between Zeus' and Poseidon's thrones. The two brothers along with Hades stood on the other side of Zeus' throne, heads bent in discussion. Just as I turned to Annabeth to ask where my own brother was, a large UFO swept me off in a bone-crunching grasp.

Oh, there he was.

"Hey, Ty," I gasped out once he released me from his hug.

He grinned at me, grabbing my arm as he dragged me towards the other demigods. He kept up a babbling commentary about all that had been going on in Atlantis, and his work in the forges with the other Cyclopes, and how Ella was. I loved to see him so happy about his life now. My baby brother really deserves it.

I collapsed next to Thalia, tossing my head uncaringly into her lap and shutting my eyes. She petted my hair lightly. A nap sounds so nice right now.

And then I was laying on the icy marble with no pillow and my dear friends laughing at me.

I shook my head as I sat up. The gods had shrunk to human size and made their way over to us.

"Did you get it?" Zeus asked, as if there was any doubt after all these years that we wouldn't get it done.

Nico and Jason began explaining what happened. I shrugged off the bag and tossed it to Thalia before gratefully taking Annabeth's outreached hand.

"Uh, Percy," Thalia said, "Where is it?"

"What do you mean where is it?" Nico scoffed. "It's in the bag."

Thalia turned the bag over. Nothing fell out. No "Medusa." No "I owe you" note. Not a thing was in that bag. Jason, Nico, and I traded looks.

"Amy," Jason said. He looked composed, but there was something unidentifiable in his tone.

Hazel looked around confused. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Amy," I repeated, betrayal and defeat seeped into me. Why did she do this? What is going on with her? "She must have taken it from my bag when I wasn't looking. But when?"

Nico snapped his fingers. "When you pulled her out of the Lupercal! She stumbled, remember? Right into your side with the bag."

Thalia whistled appreciatively. "She's a pretty good thief for just some girl at your school."

I glared at her, suddenly feeling defensive. "I thought that was what she was! Sorry for thinking the best about people, Thalia!"

She immediately softened. "Hey, no one's blaming you, Perce."

Annabeth laid a hand on my arm. "She's right apparently all three of you and both the archeologists missed her taking it. We shouldn't underestimate her."

"You need to get the shield back," Dad interrupted. "Somehow, we need to locate her and get it back. We don't know why or for whom she took it. We must be careful. It is a precious relic that should be preserved on Olympus."

In other words, they want their shield and they want it now.

"I think I might know a way we can find them," Jason said, though he looked uncomfortable. "I just need to go find someone real quick."

"Who'll go on the quest?" Annabeth asked.

"Jason and I will," I volunteered.

"Me too," Thalia offered.

Everyone agreed, and we set off. Best not to rest or anything because then we may actually not be in a life-or-death like situation more than once in less than twenty four hours.

**Jason POV**

"Well, baby bro," my sister drawled, swinging her arm around my shoulder as we walked, despite the fact I was much taller than her. "Who are we going to see for this magical insight to Amy's location?"

"An advisor," I replied. Well, an advisor on love. Lady Venus to be exact. Not that I would ever willingly admit that to Thalia or anyone else for that matter without no other choice.

We finally ended up in front of her temple. She obviously knew that we were coming since she was lounging on her porch swing, looking up from swirling her drink to give us a serene smile.

"Jason, dear," Lady Venus said after we bowed (and Thalia and Percy got over their shock on who my supposed advisor is). "I've been waiting for you to come see me! Did you do it? What happened? Do you need help planning the wedding?"

I cut her off from her, no doubt, endless questioning despite how rude it was. It was very disconcerting and embarrassing having someone so involved in my personal business, especially with Lady Venus barraging me with questions about it. "Um, actually, My Lady, I haven't. I'm trying to find Amy."

She paused. "Well, then," her eyes scanned me curiously, "Come inside, son of Jupiter, and I'll see what I can do."

I waved the other two off when they set to follow after me. Percy, for his part looked sympathetic and understanding. My sister looked ticked and confused. "Please explain." I mouthed to Percy, flicking my eyes over to Thalia. He nodded.

Turning back, I trailed after the love goddess into what I guess was her office. It wasn't pink like I had expected. It seemed to be a normal office, like a wedding planner might have. Business cards were lined up in a series of credit-card sized pouches hanging on the wall. There was a large calendar hanging beside it. Appointments, anniversaries, and different couples' dates and weddings speckled across the days of the month. Her computer's screen saver was probably the most interesting thing in the room. Lord Vulcan, completely shirtless, was hammering what looked like the beginning of a sword into shape.

Lord Vulcan quickly evaporated from the screen as Lady Venus sat behind her desk and logged into her computer, tossing a file onto her desk and opening up various things on her computer. Jason couldn't really tell what they were.

"Now," she finally said. "We are looking for Amy Cahill." She typed rapidly before hitting the enter key with a satisfied smile. "When are you going to give her the necklace?"

"Um, I don't know yet, Milady. It hasn't felt like the right time yet."

She clicked her tongue, nodding sympathetically as she flipped through pages in the file on her desk. My face, Amy's face, our faces flicked through my vision. Has she been stalking me?

"Excuse me, Lady Venus," I interrupted her perusal of what might possibly be my entire life. "What is that?" I waved towards the file.

She smiled as if I was a silly child who amused her. This was probably true, but I wasn't going to think about it. "Oh, my dear, this is your and Amy's love story. I have one for every couple. One needs a good filing system if they are to keep track of every couple that has, is, or will ever be."

A short double beep cut me off from replying. Lady Venus clapped joyfully, reading whatever had popped up on the computer. "Oh, how cute! You two will next meet each other at the circus in Italy. Aw, you should by her food and laugh together at the clowns and it will be just the perfect first date and-"

"What?"

She turned towards me, realizing I wasn't as excited as her. "My darling little computer program, right here, can foretell when couples will meet each other. You two will meet here!" Lady Venus informed me, turning her screen so that I could see the map. It was the Circo di Milano in Italy. Amy was going to be there. We had a location.

I memorized the location, thanking Lady Venus for her help as she led me back out to Percy and Thalia. In return, Lady Venus kept up a constant stream of words, flowing between our deal, best circus date tips, and how "absolutely scrumptious" Amy and I were together. I am pretty sure I was redder than a lobster, but neither of the other two commented on it if I was.

We thanked Lady Venus again, setting off to find Amy and the "Medusa" shield.


	35. Chapter 35

_**A/N:**__ Hi! Correction: there will be 38 chapters as of now. Three chapters left! Who's excited? I am! Thank you so much for all of your support and reviews. Please, yep, you guessed it: Read, review, and don't flame. I hope you enjoy the chapter._

**Amy POV**

_This almost feels like normal life_, I thought. _I'm going to the circus. Dan would have loved this._

Yep, normal life. Carrying a stolen masterpiece in a giant green garbage bag and wanted by the cops—just a day in the life of the Cahill family.

The Piazza dei Cinque Fratelli was a gigantic open space, currently filled by the towering Circo di Milano's big top and various smaller tents housing minor exhibits, food stalls, and carnival games surrounding it.

I made sure to keep my head tilted down as I approached the ticket window. The line seemed to creep, just asking someone to look around and notice the girl fitting the right age and nationality of Amy Cahill. Despite having changed my appearance, it was still possible for someone to be observant enough to look past the blonde hair, phony glasses, and Insta-Tan.

Without betraying my American accent, I handed my money to the policeman and held up one finger. I tried to make my smile friendly and happy as I accepted my change and ticket, but it felt more like the corners of my mouth were caught on two fish hooks pulling my mouth in a tight upward curve.

Once inside the big top, I began to feel even tenser. What if Vesper One's seat was already occupied?

Apparently, I didn't need to worry at all. Row W was high in the stands, and most of the audience wanted to be seated closer to the ring. But I wasn't here for the circus, so to row W, seat 11 I went. The wrapped "Medusa" felt like a bomb as I held it tightly in my grasp. What now? How would Vesper One get the "Medusa" from me? Will the hostages really be okay?

It was show time, both for the circus and the drop off. A troupe of clowns was followed by a tight-rope walker. She was followed by the show horses, a lion tamer, a trapeze act, and a trick motorcycle rider. Throughout the performance, the clowns came out and meandered around the ring, preforming comedy routines and juggling. No one came towards me.

Was I sitting in the right place? Did I misread the instructions?

The human cannonball was up now. He was obviously one of the biggest stars in the show. He received a standing ovation and paused the show to sign autographs for some kids in the front rows, until he finally donned his helmet and waved to the crowd before slipping into the mouth of the cannon. The spotlight glared down on it. Another one, clear across the arena, appeared in order to showcase the net where the brave performer would land.

The boom was deafening, in a blast of flame, the human cannonball sailed across the big top. Someone tackled me. As I fell to the ground, the "Medusa" left my grip and fell into the hands of one of the trapeze artists swinging down above my head as she hung by her feet. The crowd roared in approval as the human cannonball landed safely in his net. For an instant the girl was right in front of me, backlight by the cannon flash- young, dark haired, and wearing a spangled blue costume. Then she rose skyward with the "Medusa" and disappeared.

The drop-off.

I struggled under the weight of the guy who tackled me. I noticed several things immediately about this man: he was strong, he was blonde, he had shocking blue eyes, and I totally knew who he was.

"Jason," I breathed. I hope he was just here for the circus.

His shoulder looked better, much better really—completely healed actually, but he was looking at me with such an intense gaze and I really needed to find the girl that I didn't bother bringing it up.

He pulled me up with him in one swift movement. We were pressed close. And then, every single light in the big top went out. It was different from the various lighting effects of the show. This was a total power failure. The blackness seemed to be trying to suffocate us. The children began to panic, adults chased after their kids, sounds of bodies colliding and falling permeated the air. Cries rang out as the chaos escalated and the danger became startlingly real.

"Let's get out of here," I urged Jason. His eyes were almost luminescent in the darkness.

We carefully picked our way through the treacherous path. Jason led the way, breezily dodging alarmed patrons tripping over darting children and their stumbling parents. I could faintly hear the ringmaster shouting instructions somewhere on the floor, but with no microphone it was impossible to hear him.

Jason called out for Percy and Thalia, who must have come to the circus with him, when we reached the bottom of the grandstand. I had no idea what would happen if I just went with him and the other two, but I needed to find that girl. Lives depended on it. My baby brother depended on it.

Slipping my hand out of Jason's and ignoring his alarmed questions, I snaked my way to the emergency exit. It was really just a tent flap that was being held in place by ropes and pegs, but I managed to wriggle out the hole and found myself in a dimly lit alley.

As I stood and dusted myself off, a pitiful moan reached me, almost at my feet. Looking down, I saw a petite brunette in a sequined blue costume lying on the pavement.

The trapeze artist!

I reached out a hand to help her up. She made no move to take it, her expression disconcerted. She tried to speak, but could summon no sound.

I dropped to my knees. "It's okay," I reassured her. "I know why you took the package. I understand."

My eyes scanned the alley for any potential threats. All I found, though, was a smashed glass syringe beside the trapeze artist. I took in the mark on her neck, still slightly bleeding, and understood what had happened immediately. Minutes ago, she had performed a service for Vesper One, and this was her reward.

"Who did this to you?" I asked urgently. I needed to know. Could I finally identify Vesper One?

The barely conscious girl tried to raise herself up, but could not seem to find the strength. Indistinguishable sound came out when she moved her lips. I leaned closer.

With obvious effort, the quickly dying acrobat ran a hand along her bare arm. "Bru…bruciato," she spoke in the barest whisper.

"Bruciato?" I repeated, recognizing the word. "Burned. Seared." I focused back on the girl. "You mean the guy who did this? He had a burn on his arm?"

The trapeze artist gave a slight shudder. I wanted to jump up and scream for help, but something told me that it was too late. I watched as the young woman before me seemed to collapse in upon her own tiny frame, eyes still open yet suddenly lifeless.

Another innocent person dead, thanks to the Cahills! I tried to tamp down my hysteria. When would this end? Would Dan be next? Nellie? Another innocent?

Suddenly, I was being jostled from behind. Someone pulled me into a standing position, another yelled for help, the third bent over the body, examining the girl. The girl that I killed. I killed this girl. Maybe I didn't inject her, but I'm the reason she's involved.

I was being shuffled out of the alley by a choppy black haired, punk rocker girl—Thalia, I recalled.

People began streaming onto the scene. A police whistle shrilled nearby, jarring me back to reality. Falling to pieces would not bring the trapeze artist back. Nothing would. Falling to pieces would not bring her justice by finding her killer, Vesper One, and taking him down. Action would.

The drop-off had been made. Next on my agenda: the release of the hostages. The ball was in Vesper One's court now.


	36. Chapter 36

_**A/N: **__Hi! It's the final count down. Two chapters left after this. I have decided that there will be a sequel to this. I'm so excited and nervous. We are heading into a landing of my first fanfic I ever wrote. Thank you to all who have been with me through this story. Thank you to all the reviewers and readers. Please read, review, don't flame, and enjoy._

**Amy POV**

Thalia guided me several streets over from the Piazza dei Cinque Fratelli, creating distance between us and the circus. We sat down on a bench in silence, neither knowing how to start. Questions ran through my head. _How did you find me? Why are you following me? What are you doing here? Who are you people?_

The Vesper phone chimed, immediately erasing all other thoughts from my head. Forgetting my company, I pulled out the phone and examined the screen.

_Package received. You are too kind._

"That's it?" I snapped at the screen. No, I didn't go through all of this for two sentences. "What about my family, you murdering psycho? What about my baby brother?"

As if in answer a second message came in. It was a photograph of the hostages in the Vesper holding cell. I counted. _Seven hostages. All seven present and accounted for._

Dan was propped up on the floor, a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his wounded shoulder. He looked pale and weak, his blonde hair long and unkempt. He leaned heavily against Nellie, brown was now clearly visible at the roots of her dyed black-and-orange hair. _But he's alive..._

I set aside my relief and read on:

_Perhaps you notice that your loved ones continue to accept our hospitality. This is due to your previous treachery. They will remain our guests until you complete a few more tasks. The first of these will be in Lucerne, Switzerland. Get there immediately, lest the number of our little party dwindles._

_It is a pleasure to continue to work with such a talented young girl. Although, Amy, I much prefer you as a brunette._

_Vesper One_

"We had a deal!" I cried out to the phone, as if my pleading could alter anything. If only I could respond to Vesper One. Text him back my protests. Like most of my hope, however, the screen gave a final flicker and went dark. The Vesper phone was dead. I tried to think encouragingly, anything to keep even a shred of hope alive. _I'll have the new charger soon. Jonah promised me he was sending it. Dan's still alive—injured, but alive._

In truth, I wanted to go marching down the streets, rampaging through Italy until I found Vesper One. He saw me; maybe he was still watching me. He has a burn on his arm and he's carrying the "Medusa" in a garbage bag. How hard could he be to find on these streets? I knew better, though. Rash action would never succeed against a cold, calculating adversary like Vesper One. I had to think if I ever want to get Dan and the others back alive. The only Cahill I could think of who had ever come close to understanding the Vespers had been Grace.

_Fine,_ I decided. _I have to think like Grace._

What would Grace do now?

Thalia laid a hand on my shoulder, alerting me to her presence. I cursed inwardly. I needed to pay better attention to my surroundings or I may never find Vesper One, though he always appears to be able to see me. Not paying enough attention was how all the hostages got kidnapped. Not paying attention was how I so stupidly lost Dan to the Vesper's clutches.

"Amy," her voice was softer and more sympathetic than I ever expected it could be. Her rough and tumble, strong, talk-to-me-and-I'll-bite appearance seemed to melt away in front of my eyes as she spoke. "What's going on?" Her eyes were mirror replicas of Jason's, searching my own for answers. "Tell me. Let us help."

So I did. Something had broken inside me. Maybe it was still failing to get the hostages back home alive and safe or the dead, innocent trapeze artist. Maybe it was the weight of having to lead the family and hold this responsibility without anyone, even my baby brother, to stand by me or Dan—propped up on the floor with a bullet hole in his shoulder. I told her everything about this whole hostage crisis. The kidnappings, the phone, the search, Dan getting shot, the various criminal activities I committed, my fears and worries—nothing escaped my tale, except the Cahill family secrets. All I said about that was the old family feud that the Cahill and Vesper families had. It felt so good to finally get at least some of these family's secrets off my shoulders.

Thalia listened, patient and still.

"Vesper One had this whole thing planned," I concluded, "from the kidnappings to the tiniest detail of tonight. There's no way that he would leave himself open to being attacked in the street. And even if I could find him and reach him, he's still has the hostages."

"Because he cheated you!" Thalia replied, obviously upset by what I'd told her. "You shouldn't keep doing his bidding; he'll just keep cheating you."

"I should have seen that coming," I agreed, "but he won't release the hostages until I've got something he needs in return. I've got the resources of the whole Cahill family researching the Vespers twenty-four-seven. When we understand what they're really up to, then we'll know what we can trade. And until that happens, I need to keep my family alive. I can't-" My voice caught. "I can't let my little brother get hurt again." Not because of me. Not because I messed up _again_.

Thalia turned me so I was facing her, locking our eyes. "This isn't your fault. Sometimes we can't-" Her voice caught as she looked at something to my right. Jason and Percy were heading towards us, deep in conversation with each other. It suddenly occurred to me that Thalia was an older sister too. She knew. She understood. "Sometimes we can't protect our family as much we think we should be able to. We can't protect them from everything." Her eyes hardened, strength simmering just beneath the surface like she had been there, done this before. "But we can do everything we possibly can to protect them."

With a final squeeze to my shoulder, Thalia asked me to stay put before turning to meet the two guys heading towards us. Let them help me? Help my family? I suppose it couldn't hurt.

And, if it came down to it, I still had one last resort. If I couldn't save my brother this way, then I'd just have to use the weapon I had promised myself I would never touch.

Gideon Cahill's serum.


	37. Chapter 37

_**A/N: **__Hey, everyone! This is the second to last chapter. I am so nervous and excited; how about you? Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers. I really appreciate you guys. Please read, review, and enjoy._

**Percy POV**

Thalia explained everything to us. Well, maybe not everything. There was a glint in her eyes that told me that she was holding something back. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was this nagging feeling in my head that maybe she and Amy talked about more than just this hostage situation that Amy was in the middle of.

"We'll help right?" Thalia asked. Both children of Zeus looked to me.

"Of course," I agreed. "But how? Where do we start?"

"The gods," Jason responded immediately. I blinked. That was both really fast and unusual. "They know the Cahills, right?" Jason explained. "They bothered to give the family clear sight, and, if the Cahills and Vespers have had this feud since the beginning, the gods would probably know about them."

"That," I said slowly, "actually makes sense."

"Then it must be true," Thalia quipped, "if Percy understands it."

I ignored her. "It can't hurt to try. First we need to convince Amy we are demigods and to come with us to visit the gods on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building."

I turned to survey the girl on the bench. Amy looked a lot like Annabeth at the moment; her hair was blonde, her skin tan, and her eyes were a stormy mixture of decision and pain. My heart surged with a sudden protective instinct. Amy was probably her little brother's Annabeth, and now neither of them had each other. No Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl. Just Wise Girl. I was reminded of when Hera kidnapped me. This was how Annabeth must have looked. Crushed. Driven. Pained.

"So…" Thalia drawled. "Who wants to tell her?"

Jason and I shared a look, nodding to each other before turning to her. "You."

"Me?" She asked incredulously. "Why?"

"You're the oldest." I informed her.

"You're my big sister and you love me," Jason said. Oh, that's a good excuse. We should've started with that one.

"Or," I cut off what looked to be the beginning of a sibling joust. Although, if I had let it escalate, my money would be on Thalia's spear. "We could just convince her to go to New York with us and tell her the demigod thing on the plane where she can't run away."

Thalia opened and closed her mouth. "That's actually a good idea." She turned to her brother. "Go convince Amy to come with us."

Jason opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "No, you are going to do it." She smiled mockingly sweet. "Because you're my baby brother and you love me."

Jason sighed and made his way over to Amy. He knelt in front of her. I would have thought that it was a really sweet moment if I knew we weren't trying to basically kidnap her.

Thalia looked at me. I took a manly step back. "Don't think you're getting out of this," Thalia warned me. "You get to explain it to her."

Jason ended up explaining the whole demigod thing to her on the plane. For one, they were sitting next to each other. Secondly, Thalia and I were too busy not dying by aviation catastrophe.

It's funny how after you've explained the whole Greek and Roman mythology isn't actually mythology but real thing how you can tell just by facial expressions what the poor person has been told. Example:

"Demigods and the gods are real and I'm a demigod." Face: disbelief.

"No really; it's true." Face: hurt and angry.

"Please believe me. Let me tell you my life story." Face: unreadable and slightly intimidating.

"Do you understand? Do you believe me?" Face: what does this have to do with anything?

And finally: the explanation of our plan. Amy's face: determined. She nodded to whatever Jason said, pulling out her laptop and typing rapidly.

I made eye contact with Jason.

_How did it go?_ I mouthed. Though based on my facial expression knowledge, it seemed that Amy believed us.

He shrugged. _She's organizing a family meeting at the Empire State Building._ He glanced at the girl beside him before flicking his gaze back to me. _They may possibly be worse than the gods in one room together._

I honestly doubted that, but I also doubted Amy was a thief and yet she got the "Medusa" from my bag without me or anyone else noticing, so maybe my doubts weren't that reliable.

In the airport, we split off. Thalia went to IM the gods of the fact we were bringing a bunch of mortals to Olympus along with the situation behind it. Jason was taking our luggage to Argus who'd be waiting in one of the camp vans. Amy and I were getting food for the group. Airplane food just didn't fill a growing boy's stomach. Well, that and I may not have eaten in the midst of my praying to live on that death trap I've been forced to take twice on this quest. Twice. Two times. I do not want to try for a third, no matter how charming it's supposed to be.

Amy and I were sitting at one of the tables by an outlet in the small restaurant. Amy was looking back to normal now and charging her phone. She stared at the screen like it had all the answers of what was happening.

Its _bing!_ was so loud that if my head wasn't filled with seaweed then it probably would have echoed in the emptiness. Amy gripped the phone in her hand even tighter.

As I was about to lean over her shoulder to see what had grabbed her attention, Amy shoved the phone at me. "Tell me you see Phoenix!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Phoenix!" A flood of tears were pouring from her eyes. "He's not in the photo!"

I grabbed the phone from her so I could see what was displayed on the screen. There was a photo of a group of people. They looked terrible. Everyone was wearing prison-like jumpsuits that were tattered and torn and had some type of injury—bruises, cuts, possibly even broken bones.

_Six_. It suddenly hit me. _There are only six hostages. Thalia said there were seven._

Jason and Thalia were at the table now. I hadn't noticed their arrival. Jason had an arm around Amy, and Thalia stood on her opposite side. I matched their worried features with a grim look of my own. I moved so we could all look at the phone.

I scrolled past the picture to the message below.

_Phoenix Wizard sat on a wall. Phoenix Wizard had a great fall. All the Vespers' horses and all the Vespers' men couldn't put Phoenix together again. You didn't really think I wouldn't know you aren't heading to where I sent you. This is your second tried deception. It failed and as you can see, the others paid a price too._

The three of us looked at each other. We were going to help Amy whether the gods helped or not, whether she believed us or not.

This Vesper One? Yeah, he was going down.


	38. Chapter 38

_**A/N: **__This is it. This is the end. Be on the lookout for its sequel. I don't have a title or set release date yet, but I hope to post it soon. I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, and supported me through this story. It has meant so much to me and has inspired me to keep writing. So thank you to everyone. I hope you like the chapter. So for the final time: Please read, review, and enjoy!_

**Jason POV**

"Mortals," Hera muttered in barely concealed rage as she stormed past. "On Olympus! Bad enough we have the half-humans, but full blooded _mortals_!"

I was inclined to agree with her. Maybe inviting the Cahill family onto Olympus was a bad idea. Gods arguing, monster fighting—everything suddenly paled in comparison to the chaotic battle that was a Cahill family reunion. It wasn't even that they took the whole Greek and Roman gods and mythology not actually being mythology badly. They just happened to loathe each other. There weren't that many of them here, a family from each branch who was immediately related to one of the hostages.

There was one girl, Sinead, who was some type of E-cat? I wasn't sure if that was some type of nickname or not. I hope so. From what I'd learned, each family branch was a descendant of one of the original family members. Who'd name their kid E-cat? She had auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail and was wearing what I would guess a child of Venus and Minerva's children would wear. She had a twin brother Ned with her who was basically the male version of her. Two of the hostages were from their branch apparently.

A smooth talking guy, Ian, who was a Lucian and looked like a young business man (and, in my personal opinion, a snake) seemed to be on friendly terms with Amy and rather close too, but that could be because they each lost a younger sibling that they had been responsible to take care of.

The largest family represented the Thomas branch (the easiest of the family names to remember). They all looked like Mars kids in blue track suits. Their pitbull looked vicious enough to fight Mars' boar too. The youngest girl had a twin that was taken. They all were named after famous politicians too, I noted.

The other group of three people were comprised of a supposedly "wickedly famous" superstar, Jonah Wizard, and his businessman and artist parents. His aunt was also there and far from happy. They were part of the Janus branch, not related to the god of choices.

Currently, they were all shouting and arguing with each other about the hostages, the Vespers, some type of clues, and other insults I assume are based off of some family history. The little boy Amy had called Phoenix that was missing from the last text that Vesper One had sent was from the Janus branch. His mother was Jonah's aunt. She was cornering Amy at the moment, viciously slinging together words into the most malicious blade she could create. Jonah and his parents tried to contain her, but she was a mother on the offense to find answers about her son.

I wanted to go help, but it seemed like Amy was holding her own against her raging family members and any outside aid would not be welcomed. It was something I could relate to—being praetor, I knew that leaders needed to be able to hold their own without any help, especially help from someone outside the family.

The necklace weighed heavily in my pocket. I had slipped the ring on before the meeting, now more like mini war, had begun. I needed to give it to her soon or I might never give it to her and I couldn't go back on my promise to Lady Venus (who was not so covertly glancing at me every few minutes out of the corner of her eyes with a secretive smile that informed me that she knew exactly what I was planning to do today).

"You were right," Percy said, coming to stand next to me. "They are worse than the Olympians."

I nodded. "I caught a glimpse of them when Amy video-chatted them on the plane, but I had no idea it'd be this bad."

Percy snorted. "I think that 'I had no idea it'd be this bad' has been my theme of the entire quest."

I sent him a grin. "You sure that isn't just your theme in general?"

"I prefer to think of my life theme as 'survive and improvise.' I based it off my constant failing of plans and usual placement in life-or-death situations."

"Smart," I commented. "What's that?" I nodded to the envelope in his hands.

Percy held it up, examining the pristine white shield of whatever laid inside. "Aphrodite asked me to give it to you," he replied, passing it over.

I flipped it over to read my name, elegantly written, on the envelope. My stomach, which had been a tornado of aggravated butterflies, seemed to drop out of my body.

Percy clasped my shoulder. "Don't worry," Percy said. "Despite all appearances, she does care about her favorite heroes—just look at what she's done for me and Annabeth." He squeezed my shoulder once before heading off.

Percy and Annabeth did get their happily ever after, well, as much as they could. I couldn't help but think that this was very different though. They had been best friends, fought together, grew up together, and were _demigods_ together. Amy and I had never met before, came from two very different and extremely violent and complicated families, clear-sighted mortal versus demigod, and for all intents we have practically nothing in common that I could tell. My thoughts strayed to Lady Venus's computer saver. Perhaps, Amy and I weren't the only ones who don't seem to go together.

I ripped open the envelope, tugging out the letter. In the same elegant script my name was in, was a note.

_Complication only occurs if no one can solve it._

_We both know she's worth any complications that may come._

_So solve it._

I looked over at Amy, folding the letter and envelope carefully. She was sitting in one of the chairs that had been set up for all the mortals in the throne room. I exchanged the letter for the necklace in my pocket.

She peered up at me, tired but curious. "Hey."

I tried to smile through my nerves. "Hey."

We remained in silence for a few moments until I gathered my courage. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Are we even allowed to?" She asked, seeming surprised.

I shrugged. "I think we're more likely to die staying in the middle of your family war zone than we are outside the throne room."

That got a, albeit small, chuckle from Amy as she took my offered hand. I nodded at Percy as I led her out one of the doors from the throne room. He shot me a smile, turning to talk to Thalia as if he hadn't noticed we were sneaking out of the meeting. For all that people called him a Seaweed Brain, Percy was actually very smart.

Amy and I ended up in one of the many archways that overlooked the main center courtyard of the palace. I turned to face her. She had her arms wrapped around her and a serene look on her face as she looked at the gardens. All the stress and tiredness that had been haunting her for the entire meeting seemed to melt away for just this moment. Now was the time.

"I have to admit something," I said. She turned her piercing emerald eyes towards me both in curiosity and wariness. "I asked you out here because I wanted to give you a gift."

She sighed, brushing back some hair from her face. "Jason, I don't want-"

"No," I cut her off. "Please, I want to give this to you. You deserve it."

I unclenched my hand, revealing the glimmering eagle grasping a lightning bolt in its claws. She smiled shyly, accepting the necklace. She held it by the chain, examining the twirling bird in the breeze. "Thank you."

It occurred to me in that moment that it didn't matter what this necklace-ring combo said. I loved Amy. Nothing was going to change my mind.

I took a step closer and removed the necklace from her hand. "Here. Let me help you with this."

She nodded and lifted up her hair as I moved behind her to clasp the necklace on, letting the eagle glide down her skin until it rested at her collarbone.

I stepped back around with a glance at the ring on my hand.

**Amy POV**

As Jason moved back around me, I pulled him into a hug. The entire meeting had been so exhausting and upsetting, especially now with the sudden loss of Phoenix. Going for this walk and then getting this beautiful necklace had been the best part of my day so far—entire week actually.

As we pulled away, I noticed he was wearing a ring I had never seen him wear before. "Jason," I said, nodding at his hand. "Your ring is glowing."

He smiled, happy and satisfied with something. "I know. It's supposed to do that."

I decided to leave it at that. Who knew what demigods wore rings for? It was probably private anyway, so I suggested we head back to the meaning. I felt bad leaving the gods and demigods, who are apparently very real, with my family who are also very real and very angry.

Percy met us at the door as we entered, smiling at Jason as if he were proud of him for something. Then again, I hadn't seen them in a bit, so maybe Jason did something spectacular in that time span.

"Hey," he said, turning to me. "Do you wanna try and get your family to calm down so we can attempt to pretend we are productive?"

Jason snorted. "Don't you mean the gods are whining because there's a family more dysfunctional than them?"

"Wait a sec," I protested, trying to hide my smile. "My family isn't dysfunctional! We're just…competitively argumentative."

"Is that what they call it these days?" Percy asked, leading us to the front of the throne room where Percy and Jason's fathers (_the_ Poseidon and Zeus, respectively) were standing and observing my family.

I turned to face my family, not even glancing at the gods or their kids. I was sure I'd lose my confidence if I did. No one was here to stand beside me this time; I had to do this on my own.

What would Grace do?

I caught Hamilton's eye and nodded. He gave a short nod back passing the look to Jonah before rallying his family to sit down. I did the same to Ian who acknowledge me in return and sent the look to Sinead. Within a couple of minutes they all sat down, quiet, but still angry.

Zeus inclined his head the barest degree. _You first._

It was a test, I knew. He wanted to see how well I could manage and run my family. I got them under control and sitting—point one.

"I know you are in pain," I started, looking at each branch in turn. "We all are, but we need to remember that the Vespers didn't go after just one branch. They went after our family. We cannot be and are not just Lucian, Janus, Thomas, Ekaterina, and Madrigal. We are Cahills, we are family, and we are being attacked."

"My son is _dead_," Leila stood, angry and upset. "I can't get him back."

"Maybe he isn't," I argued, not really believing in it, but needing a hope to grasp on to. "Vesper One never said specifically that he was dead. Maybe he got away, but the Vespers don't want us to know."

"It's impossible!" she snapped back.

"Now wait a minute," Jonah said, standing up too. "If there's a chance he's still alive, then I want my cousin back." He turned to me. "Count me in for whatever crazy scheme you got."

I nodded to him as he and his aunt took their seats again, grateful that someone stood for me.

"This is our battle. We need to fight it." I looked around the room. "But it wouldn't hurt to have a little help." I paused, checking quickly with a sideways glance that Zeus didn't want to take over for a speech of his own. I did not want to get blasted by a god because I kept him from making a speech. "I propose we continue with our original plan of a two prong attack, but instead of fighting on my own, following Vesper One's orders—I take the fight to him." I looked around at the gods who'd shown up to the meeting. "The gods of Olympus, from what I've been told, believed in the Cahill family once. If they still believe in us, then I'd ask for the location of the Vesper base holding the hostages." I looked to the demigods, to Percy, to Jason. "And I'd ask their kids if any would stand and fight with me, so my family's efforts could be put into researching the threat and protecting what's left of our family." I looked back to my family. "I'd also ask my family to believe in me and each other for just a little longer, so that we can get our family back safe."

I took a step back, letting my plea settle over the group.

Hamilton shoved himself up. "I'll do it. They took my little sister. Nobody gets away with that."

Jonah stood next. "I want to find my lil' cousin." He said, staring down his aunt as if daring her to object to anything he was saying. "For better or worse, I want to find him."

Sinead and Ned pulled themselves up. "Do you want us to stay at the house still?" Sinead asked. I nodded. We all looked at Ian.

He rolled his eyes, heaving an exaggerated sigh as he stood up too. He spread his arms with a sarcastic smile like he was saying _Tada. I'm part of the idiot club too._

I turned towards Percy and Jason. They shared a look. Percy threw an arm around Jason's shoulder, turning to me with a grin. "'Course, we'll help."

We all turned to Zeus. He stared me down, probably trying to be imposing but I had lived through the clue hunt and Isabel Kabra when I was only fourteen. The king of the gods had nothing on my psychopathic relative.

Clearly seeing that I wasn't backing down, Zeus cleared his throat, making sure he had the attention of the entire room. Percy was rolling his eyes from behind Zeus' back. It would have made me laugh if this moment did not possibly dictate the future of my family's lives.

"I believe this is a time for a prophecy," The king of the gods looked over at an attractive blonde guy. He looked familiar, as if I had seen him in the middle of a crowd somewhere.

_The Big Easy holds the path set in stone_

_To the Labrynth of Quandries four heroes shall traverse._

_Each warrior shall face their most hated curse._

_The Queen of Unity must fight alone_

_To battle one thought dead, the betrayer of his own._

"What does that even mean?" Madison asked.

"Yeah!" Eisenhower yelled (can it be called yelling when it's his normal volume?) "We want actual help, not some of your prattling poetry!"

"I may be able to help," Hazel spoke up from her spot beside Nico and a Chinese looking guy named Frank. Everyone turned to her. "The Big Easy—I think it means New Orleans." She looked at the ground. "They used to call it that back when I lived there."

The room fell into silence, like the reminder that Hazel lived there was something sad and rarely mentioned—a time of darker days.

"That's good." I said. "That's good." I looked at my family. "I have a place to start."

"You mean _we_ have a place to start," Percy corrected, tossing an arm around my shoulder. "Right, Sparky?" I looked to my other side where Jason was nodding his head. How long had they been standing there? "Hazel, you want to come?" He asked.

She nodded, walking over to us. "I'm in."

I looked at my family, then my friends. This was happening. We were going to find the hostages, going to win, going to take down the Vespers once and for all.

Grace would be proud.


End file.
